


How You Get The Girl(s)

by Wreckmyplanss



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Falling In Love, Fix-It, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Kidnapping, LGBTQ Themes, Love Confessions, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 22:35:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 37,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29707581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wreckmyplanss/pseuds/Wreckmyplanss
Summary: Gasping, Max came to in the real world again with a strangled cry and a pull backwards. She had been putting in all of her power to free herself from the chair in the memory, and it somehow translated to the real world, for she collapsed backwards in the chair she was currently sitting in, hitting her head against the wall and spilling the beer everywhere.Other Max hadn’t warned her about memories from other timelines. Then again, she wasn’t sure that Other Max even knew about what happened to the Max’s she left behind.Three months after the storm that destroyed Arcadia Bay, Max performs a last ditch-effort to go back in time and save everyone she possibly can. Left with nothing but a series of notes and a year that's planned out for her in full, a young Max has to try and navigate her new life while also playing the hero. A multi-chapter fix-it fic focused on AmberPriceField also featuring heavy ChaseMarsh. Mature themes present.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Rachel Amber/Chloe Price, Rachel Amber/Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price, Victoria Chase/Kate Marsh
Comments: 73
Kudos: 145





	1. Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my little slice of heaven! 
> 
> This fic is intended to be a multi-chapter fix-it fic going through the events of before, after, and during Life Is Strange, but with a twist. It will come in three parts - the before, the during, and the aftermath. The main ship here is AmberPriceField, but ChaseMarsh is featured heavily in it.
> 
> As I have most of the story already written, I'm starting with uploading part one (the first five chapters) and I will periodically update as time goes on. This will be a slow burn but it'll be full of gayness, trust me. 
> 
> There will be mature themes in this work so please proceed with caution. Mentions of suicide, mentions of abuse, mentions of kidnapping, mentions of drug/alcohol use, and smut will be present in this work as time goes on. This is also not beta-ed and the dates may be a little wonky as it's been a while since I've played the game, so please be patient with me. Hope you enjoy!

As her eyes opened, Max noticed two things.

The first was that she was in her room in Seattle. The pale blue walls were covered in scattered polaroids and posters, the occasional outdated calendar plastered over the desk. Notebooks were scattered across the left side of the mahogany desk, while the right side had a loud-running laptop still playing a video on screen. It became background noise as Max looked around carefully.

The second thing she noticed was that the door was slightly ajar, the familiar sound of her parents downstairs could be heard if she strained her ears enough. Near the door was her phone, laying on the ground face-down. Max could vaguely remember throwing it in a moment of frustration, but the memory was blurry, as though it wasn’t her own.

Swallowing, she began to move from her place on the chair in the middle of the room. The video continued to play in the background as she gained her bearings and straightened herself up. She had been slumped over for some reason, like she’d blacked out for a second. Holding her head, which was pounding, she scooted over towards the desk to set her chair there and sit back on the bed, where she thought she’d been before.

As she did so, she finally listened to the sound of the video, and she froze. The voice was somewhat familiar, like an old friend, but not quite someone she knew.

She straightened the laptop and sat up straight, scrolling back to the beginning and pressing play. It wasn’t a Youtube video, but it was playing off an unfamiliar USB drive that was plugged into the side. She eyed the red drive carefully before she allowed the video to play out.

The woman on screen looked distraught and dirty, but Max recognized her regardless. It was herself, sitting at the exact same desk, no timestamp on the video. 

Weird.

“Hey Max,” the video started, the Other Max running a hand through her hair. “Okay, I don’t have much time, so I have to explain something to you before we start this. I left an envelope under the desk for you, taped upright. Don’t open it until I’ve explained everything, okay?” Other Max paused, taking a deep breath before she continued.

“My name is Max Caulfield, I come from the future. Late October 2013, actually. Today is November 14th, 2012. I don’t have much time to explain this so please don’t pause this video until I’ve stopped. I’ve left a note inside that envelope that explains everything in a lot more detail, but please. Listen to me and don’t question it.”

Other Max went on to explain a series of events that took place over a week in the October she mentioned, along with the consequences of those actions, and the beforemath of how to stop them. Max’s head was spinning by the time the video was done, even if it was only four minutes long. The envelope in her hand began to feel like a heavy weight. She was sure she was dreaming, or maybe she hit her head --

“Maxy?” Came a voice from the door, and Max nearly jumped out of her skin. Slamming the laptop closed, she stuffed the envelope under it and turned around to face her father.

He looked at her knowingly, even though he truly had no idea what he’d caught her doing. Approaching her, he gently ruffled her hair and kept the smirk on his lips as he spoke. “Dinner’s ready. Hurry up.”

Max swallowed, watching as he left. The second he was gone, she ripped open the envelope and investigated.

True to her word, Other Max had carefully folded up several pieces of paper with long writing on it. There was a small planner inside for 2013, with dates surrounded by text and locations. A bus ticket and a plane ticket were also in there, along with three hundred dollars.

What the fuck?

Max moved to her bed, holding the papers in her hands. There were four in total, and it took her a couple of minutes to read them. She was sure the information didn’t fully retain by the time she was finished, but she got the gist of it.

She’d always dreamed when she was younger she’d be the “chosen one” for something. She never imagined it would come with so much anxiety and confusion.

Swallowing, she tried to bury her anxiousness as she heard a second voice call her from downstairs. Grabbing her phone off the floor, she began to search through her texts, seeing Chloe’s name at the bottom. She hadn’t sent her a text in months.

Chloe was the key to all of this, she knew it. Seeing her name made Max’s stomach do a flip, but Other Max had been very clear that she couldn’t contact her yet. Nervously, she tucked her phone inside of her pocket and went downstairs.

Assuming that her earlier “transgressions” were what was making her quiet at the dinner table, her parents didn’t say anything to her as they ate. Max remembered the argument but it was clouded by something else she couldn’t identify; a lost hour or so that she couldn’t get back. Her fork stuck itself into the mashed potatoes aggressively as she tried to remember what Other Max said in her speech.

She didn’t really want to do this, but if the consequences were real, then she knew she had no choice. Clearly Other Max couldn’t deal with the aftermath of the whole situation, and if Other Max was her…

Her head was starting to hurt.

Clearing her throat, Max prepared herself for what she had to do next. Playing through the script in her head, she started. “So I got a text from Chloe this morning.”

Both of her parents looked at her in surprise, but pleasant surprise, thankfully. Ryan was the one who spoke first. “About time.”

Max swallowed, reaching a hand up to toy with her hair. “She invited me over for the weekend. She says she has some sort of play at school and she wants me to come see it. I can stay at her house and everything. And it gives me a good chance to explore Blackwell before I apply and make sure it’s for me.”

“Oh that’s wonderful, we can contact Joyce in the morning and arrange a flight.”

Max shifted uncomfortably as she struggled to remember what the video had said. “They already got me a ticket and everything so you don’t have to worry about that. And Joyce won’t be home this weekend, so there’s no point in calling her. Just her step dad will be there.” She lifted her head, hoping that they were buying it.

They nodded carefully. “We’ll drive you to the airport, then. You’ll have to call us as soon as you get there. I’m sure Chloe’s changed all these years but I trust her enough, she’s your closest friend, after all.”

Max felt her shoulders sink in relief, but she kept her expression as neutral as possible.

“What time’s the flight?” Vanessa finally asked as she took a sip of her wine, eyeing her daughter carefully. Max hesitated for only a moment before she explained.

\---------

The flight was short but nerve-wracking, considering Max had never been on a plane alone before. Unaware of what she would need to pack, she had one single bag, filled to the brim with clothes and snacks just in case. The money and the notes were zipped in the top of her bag for safekeeping.

Plugging in her music, she tried to keep a cool head during the flight and tried to maintain a sense of sanity. In her little planner was a description of her destination tonight, and she read it a million times to drill it into her head.

Suddenly feeling tired, she drifted off into sleep just thirty minutes before the plane began to land. She had barely gotten a lick of sleep the night before, just reading the notes over and over, trying to commit them to memory. There were many parts that stuck out to her, and she couldn’t keep all the names straight.

Her stomach turned as she mulled it over, and her dreamless sleep came to an end as the flight landed. Once she was off the plane and away from security, she pulled the bag over her shoulders and began her walk to the bus stop.

The whole journey took a few hours, and it was around noon when she reached Arcadia Bay. Although it was familiar, she felt no sense of nostalgia as she approached, almost as though she’d just been here. The dread in her stomach only grew but she tried to bury it, not wanting to make it worse. It didn’t work quite as planned.

****

**100 SOVEREIGN BLVD  
ARCADIA BAY, OR**

The bus came to a shuddering stop at the gas station, and Max jumped off it at the last second. Examining the planner in her hands, she checked against the door to ensure this was the correct address. The planner showed a pathway down the back of the gas station, leading down a hill towards…

She had no idea, but she’d come this far, might as well continue.

Pocketing it, she pulled her hood over her head as she made her way down the hill. The leaves crunched under her feet, nervousness making itself known in the little breaths she took, in the way her fingers shook as she held her bag close to her chest.

The junkyard came into view within about twenty minutes of walking. Pausing, she stopped to sit in the grass, reaching into her bag once more to read one of the notes she had been given. She had put them in her journal to keep them straight. The note had a description of the junkyard on it, complete with a little map.

As she moved to her feet again and made her way past the entrance, she spotted a fire from the middle of the junkyard, smoke rising in the air. Even laughter was heard in her ears as she began to navigate the rusted structure of the yard.

Pausing, she realized something horrifying. She had no idea how she was supposed to convince Chloe of this truth, how she was supposed to get her to listen after so many years of radio silence. There was a chance Chloe might just tell her off, might just shove her away again. According to Other Max’s instructions, she wasn’t supposed to tell her the whole truth, but a white lie that would help protect her and everyone else.

Lost in her thoughts, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a voice.

“Where did you come from?”

Whirling around, Max found herself face to face with an unfamiliar blonde. She was beautiful, even standing in the middle of the dirty junkyard, with a braid in her long blonde hair and a bright sparkle in her eyes. There was a hint of the smell of weed wafting off of her, and she had a feather earring hanging off her visible ear.

Max thought she might throw up. The feather was a familiar theme among her messages from the future, and she knew exactly who this was.

_“Helllllllooo?”_ Rachel asked, waving a hand in the air between them, as though Max was slow or something. “Are you looking for something? Are you a cop?”

“I uh --” Max swallowed, not having prepared for this. Other Max didn’t say that Rachel Amber would be here today, or maybe she just didn’t know.

“Rachel, who are you talking to?”

The third voice that joined them was the one that made the walls in Max’s heart come crumbling down. As she slowly turned, she faced her best friend, seeing the shock in her eyes as she froze in her tracks.

She was older than she remembered her, but younger than she had been in the photo Other Max had shown her. Her hair was bright blue, high above her shoulders, and her eyes piercing and bright. She was wearing a white tank top that hung a little too low on her frame, with a three bullet necklace around her neck.

Max had barely a moment to process her new look before she spoke.

_“MAX?!”_


	2. I Can Explain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would wait for ever and ever.

The beer in her hands felt cold and foreign as she moved to sit down inside of the little building in the center of the junkyard. It was clearly Chloe and Rachel’s space, but once she had told them she had something important to say, she had been invited in.

Chloe was livid, and that was all that Max really knew. She could still read the other girl like a book, she’d always been one to wear her heart on her sleeve. She had tried to kick Max from the junkyard the second that she had shown up, but when she’d explained why she was there, Rachel had been the one to tell her to stay.

Now, though, both of them sat on the futon, glaring at her as she sat on a chair across from them. Swallowing, she picked at the label for a moment before taking a sip of the warm substance, wishing it was stronger, even if she had never had beer before - 

She wasn’t sure she could do this.

Lying was one thing, she could force the lie out if needed. She was worried that it would seem like a play of pity and nothing more. That Chloe wouldn’t listen and she’d have to this all fucking over again,

Rachel, despite what Max knew about her, seemed genuinely to care about Chloe, which was a good first sign. Other Max had made it clear in her notes that Rachel and Chloe really did love each other, even if Rachel had her commitment issues. She didn’t know the full truth as she’d never gotten a chance to get to know Rachel, but the reassurance helped her from getting a little too jealous.

“So what, did you come back just to stare at me?” Chloe challenged, a sharp edge to her voice. Max winced, feeling a sense of sorrow in her heart, but trying to shove it back. The Chloe that Other Max had talked about was different, she knew that, but this was her Chloe, the one that she actually knew. Even if Max had betrayed her.

Max took her time before she spoke, eyeing her drink carefully. A smell hit her lungs and she looked up to see Rachel smoking a blunt she'd prepared as she waited, leaning back in her seat, still eyeing Max with a glare. 

Now or never, she guessed.

She took a deep breath, not facing her friends. “I came to warn you guys about something.”

Chloe scoffed, loudly, but it was Rachel who spoke. “What could you possibly be here to warn us about?”

Max didn’t look up, as though focusing on the drink would give her strength. “Do you guys still go to Blackwell?”

At the same time, they answered: “fuck no” and “yes”.

Encouraged, Max continued. “Do you know the photography teacher, Mark Jefferson?”

“You mean the hottie with the beard?”

Chloe scoffed again, rolling her eyes. “He’s alright.”

“Come on, Chloe, even you have to admit he’s kind of hot.”

Chloe turned to face her friend, gesturing at herself. “Hello, lesbian?!”

“Lesbian with _eyes,_ though.”

Max watched the two of them banter, a small smile creeping onto her face. It was clear that Chloe was being taken care of here, even if it wasn't by Max anymore. Max waited for their banter to die down before she continued.

“He’s dangerous.”

Neither of them believed her, and why would they? They waited for her to continue, and as Max thought of how to answer, she absentmindedly pawed at her wrist, surprised by the sudden flash of light that the action brought on.

_A dirty junkyard, lit only by the moon in the sky. Max slowly fell to the ground, her legs giving out from under her. As she did so, she noticed another person falling in front of her, a blue-haired beauty with a bullet in her forehead._

_Chloe --_

_Her voice was strained, ragged, as though her vocal chords had shut down. When the scene shifted again, she was sitting upright in a chair, bound tightly to the wooden structure. The room was barely in focus, but she could see enough._

_Struggling, she turned her head and saw another blonde laying by her feet. She had only a moment to recognize the body before a sudden shift in time had a man at her neck, holding her as gently as possible, shifting her neck._

_A needle in her neck._

_It shifted again, and he was in front of her, tightening her wrists, ignoring when she spat at him. She was no longer in control of her body, simply a passenger in a scene she didn’t want to be in. He reached a hand up, slapped her --_

_A needle in her neck._

_Her voice hoarse with screaming as David walked in the room and was immediately knocked off his feet, the sickening crunch of his skull against the tripod as he fell._

_It happened again, and again, and again, until she could no longer control it, until she’d memorized that noise. Glancing around on the eighth or so time, she noticed her journal was burned, her photographs burned. There were burn marks on her legs._

_A needle in her neck, hot breath against her throat, a faint hum from a stranger that felt way too intimate and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up._

_Need to be free. Need to struggle. Need to break out._

_Need to save her. Need to go back._

_Need to run._

Gasping, Max came to in the real world again with a strangled cry and a pull backwards. She had been putting in all of her power to free herself from the chair, and it somehow translated to the real world, for she collapsed backwards in the chair she was in, hitting her head against the wall and spilling the beer everywhere.

Other Max hadn’t warned her about memories from other timelines. Then again, she wasn’t sure that Other Max even knew about what happened to the Max’s she left behind.

Her head was spinning and for a moment, Max thought she might pass out. She felt her stomach churn violently and her limbs shook, and she was either being lifted by the way her brain was rattling around or she was actually being lifted off the ground.

When her vision finally began to come back and her ears began to function once more, the world no longer sounding like it was underwater, she noticed that she was now sitting on the futon, with the two girls crouched in front of her.

“Max? Max?! For fuck’s sake, Max --”

Chloe’s voice broke her out of her stupor enough to shake her head slightly, trying to clear the brain fog. “I’m okay,” she finally mumbled, slowly moving to sit up carefully. “I’m okay, sorry, I’m fine.”

The girls leaned back, sitting down in front of the brunette, looking at her with a mixture of fear, concern, and shock. Max couldn’t really blame them, it was a strange situation they found themselves in. A girl from Chloe’s past showed up out of nowhere and suddenly was having crazy flashbacks and demanding to know about their school life.

Other Max probably should’ve planned this better.

Raising a hand to her forehead, Max took a moment to compose herself, waiting for the throbbing in her head to subside. When it was a dull ache, she finally lifted her head, facing the girls who were still sitting in front of her.

Rachel stood up first, reaching into a nearby box to grab a first aid kit. She moved to sit next to Max on the futon, reaching a hand up to dab at the blood dripping down her nose that she hadn’t even noticed. Max stiffened at first but eventually let the stranger clean her up, looking at her gratefully.

“Max, what the fuck?” Chloe finally said, voicing everyone’s thoughts at once. As Rachel finished cleaning her up and threw out the tissues, they finally all sat still, waiting.

Max swallowed. She realized then that the next thing she was going to say wasn’t going to be a lie, not anymore. Maybe that was why the vision came - to make this easier for her, to make the impact harder, to ensure that these girls listened to her.

Slowly, gently, she reached her fingers up to touch at her wrist again. When no other visions kicked in, she ran her finger tips over the nonexistent scars, finding comfort in it as she spoke.

“I know he’s dangerous because I’ve seen it. I’ve felt it.” She paused, searching their faces for anything, but seeing nothing but confusion there. She pushed on. “I was in my room in Seattle when I found out that he was going to be teaching at Blackwell. My mom, she wanted to get me into a good school for my last year, something photography heavy. She suggested Blackwell, so I looked it up.”

Max licked her lips. She knew Jefferson hadn’t worked at any schools before Blackwell, so she wasn’t sure this story would stick at all. It would stick as long as the girls didn’t look into the inconsistencies, but she was confident they wouldn’t after seeing her freak out. Although the story had holes in it, Other Max seemed convinced that it would work, so that was enough for her. Lifting her hand, she pawed some hair behind her ear before she continued, not looking at the other girls anymore.

“I had to warn you, Chloe. He -- he was teaching at my school before he went to Blackwell. He’s not a good dude, not at all. He has a lot of money and power, and he uses other people to give him that money and power. He has a bunker and an affinity for teenage girls.” She finally looked up, meeting Chloe’s eyes. “He’s disgusting. I need you guys to stay away from him, no matter what. I think he has people in his pocket. If I researched it right, the Prescotts gave him money for a facility once, and I know they’re in Arcadia Bay, too. Please, you have to promise me you’ll stay away from him and the Prescotts. I’m begging you, please. Both of you.”

She paused her rant, realizing her cheeks were wet with hot tears. Other Max’s experiences clearly had some impact on her, considering how much her chest hurt. She felt a sense of anguish that didn’t make sense for someone who had been through what she had been through, but it was there, aching her lungs. A powerful sensation she couldn’t overcome.

They were both staring at her in surprise. Rachel stood up, lost in thought, running a hand through her blonde hair. Chloe, though, was looking at her with a deadly expression.

“Max, what did he do to you?” She asked, her voice low and borderline dangerous. She’d never seen that expression on Chloe’s face before, and it made her falter.

The brunette paused, unsure if she should go any further. If it made an impact on their decisions, perhaps it was for the best. There was, however, still a chance that they would end up trying to fix this themselves and both get killed.

Closing her eyes, she tried to remember the memory she’d just had. It came back to her, not all rushing at once, but slowly. She could at least try.

“He drugged me in a jun -- in a yard,” she started, stumbling over her words. “Tied me to a chair with duct tape. Photos, so many photos.” A shudder ran through her, her voice dropping to a whisper. “He was so close to my face. So many needles.So many photos. His breath smelled….”

As she trailed off, she heard Chloe stand suddenly, and she opened her eyes. Chloe made her way to the other side of the structure, kicking something that broke in half when it made contact with her foot. Max winced.

Composing herself, Rachel approached the brunette, sitting next to her. Chloe had told her that she’d always been touchy-feely, which seemed to be true, for she put a hand on Max’s knee as she spoke. “Max, honey, it’s okay. You don’t need to tell us anything else. We get it.” She paused. “Did you tell anyone?”

Max shook her head. “He’s too smart. Leaves no evidence behind.”

“I’ll fucking kill him,” Chloe spat, rounding on them. “He’s at Blackwell? Let’s go, I’ll fucking curbstomp him.”

“Chloe, hold on,” Rachel argued, looking up at the bluenette. “Max didn’t tell anyone. There’s no evidence against him, I’m guessing no one else spoke up?” The brunette shook her head to confirm, letting Rachel continue on. “He might not even have done something here yet. If we want to stop him hunting him down won’t help. We have to figure something else out, maybe we can figure out a plan --”

“No.” 

Even Max was surprised by her own voice; firm, demanding, dark, she paired it with standing up so quickly that her head started spinning. “Neither of you can go near him, you understand me? I’ve witnessed him firsthand, he’s way more powerful than you realize. You need to keep an eye out and report anything you see, but most importantly you need to protect each other. I don’t know what I would do if either of you got hurt because of me.” She stopped, wringing her hands together, taking a few cautious steps forward towards Chloe. To her surprise, Chloe didn’t step back, just looked at her with a mixture of pain and anger in her eyes. “Chloe, please. I know I fucked up not calling you. I know I’m the worst friend in the entire universe, but please. You cannot fight him. Not now. You have to stay away from him. And Nathan. All the Prescotts. _Please._ Don’t be the hero just this once. I’m begging you.”

The silence that hung between them when Max finished was painful like a knife in her ribcage. She expected one of them to ask how the hell she knew Nathan, but they didn’t. Instead, Chloe swallowed and nodded, surprising Max by pulling her in.

The hug was all-encompassing, and Max felt herself crumble under the contact as Chloe wrapped her arms around her. Burying her head in Chloe’s neck, she felt the dam shatter, sobs breaking through her before she could stop them. She didn’t bother to pull away as they overtook her, making her cling onto her friend as tight as possible. She didn’t even pull away when she felt the third girl join, hugging her from behind.

When they finally pulled away, Max was lightly gasping but beginning to compose herself. Chloe wiped at the tears on her shirt with a teasing “gross” and Rachel smiled at them both gently.

“I’m still mad at you, but --”

“Chloe!”

“Let me finish! But I guess I can forgive you for now. And I promise to stay away from him unless I see something, okay?”

Chloe smirked at her, and for a moment Max thought she might burst into tears again. Instead, she just nodded, anxiously pawing at her wrists again. 

“C’mon, hippe. Let’s go get lunch. Two Whales?” When the girls both nodded, Chloe grabbed her bag and nodded for them to follow her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's on chapter two! Thanks for reading!


	3. Seeing Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks.

On the drive to the diner, Max sat in silence as she listened to the two of them while they fought over what song to play, laughing the whole way there, and it warmed Max’s heart. She felt a pang of jealousy but knew it was unfair of her to feel that way when she was the one who had left Chloe.

Sitting by the window, she examined the dirty handle on the door with her finger. What other surprise memories did Other Max have for her? How many more horrifying things were in store for her? Although she knew about Jefferson hurting her, she hadn’t been provided any intimate details in the notes.

She knew about some of Chloe’s deaths. She knew about finding Rachel’s body. She knew about how she had destroyed herself trying to fix it all. 

Curiously, she wondered if she still had that power, but she felt her stomach turn at the thought of using it again and risking more timelines that she couldn’t control.

Running a hand through her hair, Max leaned back in her seat, ignoring how squished she felt when pushed between the door and Rachel. Watching the scenery drive by, she let her thoughts wander to all that Other Max had told her. She didn’t know how it was possible that she’d seen so much in a week, unless time just kept dragging on for her, nonstop. Chloe’s body in the junkyard kept appearing in her mind, demanding her attention, no matter how much she tried to shake it away.

“We’re here, sweetie,” she heard from her left, feeling Rachel gently touch her arm. As angry as they were at her earlier, they seemed to have toned down the anger for now. She was sure there’d be a moment later where she and Chloe would have to hash it out, but for now she could focus on how hungry she was instead.

“What’s up losers!” Chloe shouted as she entered the diner, much to the annoyance of everyone in there. Max held her tongue as they made their way inside, feeling her heart swell at the sight of an annoyed Joyce approaching them.

“Chloe, beha --” She stopped herself, spying the shy girl behind Rachel. “Maxine Caulfield, is that you?!”

Max nodded, unable to answer in any other way before Joyce was crushing her in a hug. The contact was almost enough to make her cry again, but she resisted, instead hugging her back.

Before long, they were settled in their booth, Max with her signature pancakes and everyone else with their choice of food. According to Other Max’s plans, the second that she said she came here without a place to sleep, Joyce had predictably offered their place immediately. She had no concern on whether or not David would like it, which Max was grateful for. She had seen that man die too many times to hate him.

Chloe scoffed at the mention of him, but was otherwise happy-go-lucky at their lunch table. Joyce seemed thrilled that the bluenette looked so pleased, and Max found herself just as thrilled. Chloe had really grown into her own; she was so much taller and more assertive than she had been as a kid, but still the same old Chloe. It made her heart flutter in the familiar way it had so many years ago.

“You’re staring at me, Maxipad.”

Max blinked out of her thoughts to see Chloe and Rachel sitting across from her, both smirking. Shaking her head, she tried to will the blush away but was unable to stop it. She’d never been good at hiding herself from others, especially not Chloe.

“What should we do now?” Rachel asked, adjusting herself in her seat to face Chloe. “We should show Max around a little bit. Maybe we avoid Blackwell, though.”

“She’s seen everything already. Unless you wanna go explore all of our childhood favourite places. Like the lighthouse,” Chloe suggested, looking at Max.

The brunette felt her stomach sink at the mention of the place, but she didn’t let it show. “Maybe we can stop by your house and drop my stuff off. I haven’t seen your room since we were kids.”

“Fine with me, we can bake a little,” Chloe answered with a shrug. “Step-douche is working until like eight or some shit today.”

Max smiled, the words ‘step-douche’ bringing back a sense of nostalgia from a timeline she didn’t quite live in.

\---------

Chloe’s room brought back an inkling of memories, but not quite the actual memories themselves. Instead, the whole room felt like it was familiar and new at the same time.

After dumping her stuff in the guest bedroom, Max had been left to her own devices to wander around the room as Rachel and Chloe shared a joint on the bed, talking quietly amongst themselves. Max examined the radio for a moment before her eyes dropped elsewhere, looking at the floorboards. She saw a notebook on the floor and picked it up, pawing through the empty pages for a moment as she sat down on the floor.

Quietly, Max allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts. She knew that she had been here before, but couldn’t remember being here after she was thirteen. It was all so strange, to feel like she knew this version of this room but didn’t at the same time. 

Closing her eyes, she let her fingers wander over the empty pages, losing herself in the distant memories. They felt like they were a thousand miles away but right around the corner at the same time. Voices and images were a few feet away, beckoning her closer. Breathing in, she tried to summon them, but found it was a fruitless effort. It seemed as though they would come at random unless she strained herself too far.

When she opened her eyes again, her sigh was so heavy that the other girls noticed.

“You okay over there?” Chloe asked as she moved to sit up, watching the brunette. From where she was sitting, the photographer looked like she was the tiniest thing in the world. Max simply nodded. “Whatcha holding?”

“Blank notebook,” she commented, closing it slowly.

“Oh yeah. I was gonna give that to you when we were kids and then I lost it.” Chloe smirked. “The cover art looked like your kind of thing.”

Max nodded, holding it to her chest. Any gift from Chloe was one she would treasure. “Thanks,” she mumbled, still lost in her thoughts.

Watching her for a moment, Chloe climbed off the bed and walked over to her, plopping down hard on the ground in front of her. She’d never been graceful and wasn’t about to start now.

“Alright, what gives, Max? You’re so weirdly quiet. Is this just how you are now?” She asked, tilting her head. “Want a hit?”

Max shook her head when she was offered the joint. “I -- I guess, yeah. It’s been a long five years.”

Chloe nodded, understanding from her own perspective. “Not much of a party animal in Seattle, I’m guessing.” Her tone was a tiny bit better, a slight sneer on the word Seattle, but Max didn’t mention it.

The brunette shook her head, lowering the notebook and examining the cover. The deer on it made her feel uneasy, but she wasn’t sure why. “No. I didn’t have any friends, just the same routine every day. I dunno, it was lame.”

“Well, it sucked over here, too. Especially when my best friend ignored me the whole time.” Although Chloe said it casually, the hurt showed in her eyes. Max winced.

“I really am sorry, Chloe.”

“Water under the bridge, dude.”

“No,” Max continued, echoing her actions from earlier. Setting the notebook in her lap, she reached out, taking Chloe’s hands. If the other girl was surprised by her actions, she didn’t show it, just looked at her cautiously. “I mean it. It was fucked up of me to do that. After some time, I convinced myself you hated me and it was too late to reach out. But I can’t apologize enough. I really don’t want you to hate me.”

Chloe bit her lip, the vulnerability starting to show. She freed her hand, lowering her joint from her lips, clearly thoughtful. “I don’t hate you, Max. I’m just a little mad at you still. That kind of stuff doesn’t go away, you know?” She paused, breathing in. “I’m really sorry for what you went through, though.”

Max ignored that part, knowing she hadn’t actually gone through it in this timeline. “I know. It’s okay to be mad. I just want you to know that I never meant to hurt you, really.”

Chloe nodded, falling quiet, taking another hit of her joint as she looked away from Max’s eyes, instead examining her outfit. She was wearing her usual grey hoodie and white t-shirt combo, but the necklace around her neck was new, a gift from her mother when she’d turned sixteen. It was simple, just a long gold piece at the end of it, but it could almost resemble a bullet if you looked at it hard enough.

The brunette realized she was still holding her friend’s hand, so she let go, instead grabbing the notebook again. She was examining Chloe now, too, and all the differences she had since they’d last met.

“I never stopped loving you, Chloe,” she said, not recognizing the words as they left her mouth. Her tone was so quiet she wasn’t sure if Chloe missed it, but the expression on her face spoke for itself. “I’ll spend forever making up for it if I have to.”

The room filled with silence after that, Chloe looking down at her own lap to try and fight the tears that were there. Trying to be tough all the time took its toll, and it wasn’t her true personality, she was a sucker and Max knew exactly how to get to her. Before she could say anything else, Rachel sat up on the bed, smirking slightly, but her eyes were sparkling with joy at the reunion she’d just witnessed.

“I feel like I’m interrupting a private moment here,” she joked, watching as Chloe broke out of her trance to look at her. “Should I let you two have the room?”

“Shut up,” Chloe answered with a laugh, moving to stand up. Rachel squealed loudly as Chloe made her way in, pretending to throw a punch at her and instead tackling her onto the bed, tickling her sides, making her squeal with sudden laughter. Max watched with a quiet smile.

\---------

_This memory was a simple one, but a thousand times more clear than the previous one. Maybe it was because she wasn’t on drugs this time, or maybe this was just a memory that Other Max actually wanted to remember._

_She was sitting at a table near a park, Chloe sitting in front of her. The bluenette’s roots were showing, her lips were curled up in a smile. She was holding her game system in front of her, pointing at it, explaining something. Max could barely hear her, like it was underwater, but she still listened as hard as she could._

_When Chloe finished, she looked at her friend expectantly. To her surprise, Chloe moved to stand up and kiss her on the cheek, making her blush. The contact was so close that she shook herself awake in surprise._

Max opened her eyes from her spot on Chloe’s guest bed, the room shifting into focus. f she remembered Other Max’s words well enough, then she suspected it was a post-storm memory, before they’d decided to go back.

Stepping out into the hall, seeking some familiarity, she shivered at the coldness that hit her skin. Another surprise hit her once she was in the bathroom and splashed her face with water, as she opened the door and saw Chloe standing there, wearing a t-shirt and shorts, frowning at her. She looked half asleep.

“Sorry,” Max mumbled, moving to go back in her room.

Chloe stopped her. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

The brunette just nodded, trying for a smile. “Nightmare, that’s all.”

“Ah,” the other girl said, as though she understood. “Jefferson?”

Max felt her mouth go dry but she simply nodded, afraid to say anything else. Chloe offered her a sympathetic smile, and leaned forward to give her an awkward one-armed hug. “Sleep it off.”

As Max nodded and parted for her, she felt her entire body freeze when Chloe sleepily pressed a kiss to her cheek as a goodbye. When she went back to the guest room and sat on the bed, she touched her cheek slowly, surprised at how familiar that kiss felt, like she was right back there in the park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original intention was to make PriceField a little more slow burn than that, but... I couldn't help myself.
> 
> Chloe will blame being half asleep for that.


	4. Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaking from the rain.

Something in the air the next morning made Max nervous. 

She was sitting on the grass near Blackwell, watching as the kids walked around campus. She sat with Chloe, waiting for their friend to come back from her dorm with the stuff she needed for the day. Max’s stomach turned as she checked the date. They were months away from Rachel’s death, but it felt so close anyway.

Nervously, she toyed with the zipper of her jacket as she sat, her leg shaking. Chloe looked annoyed, as much as she tried to hide it.

“Max, calm down.” Raising an eyebrow, Chloe seemed to examine her. “Still thinking about your nightmare?” She asked the brunette, glancing at her from the corner of her eye. Max shook her head for a brief moment before falling back into her routine of keeping quiet, staring at the ground. Chloe couldn’t understand her nervousness, and if she explained, she wouldn’t get it, anyway.

After a while, Chloe sighed, unlocking her phone and shooting Rachel a text before pocketing it again. 

“You know, you’re a lot more quiet than I remember,” Chloe said, turning her body to face her friend. “I feel like there’s something else you’re not telling me.”

Max tensed, unable to stop herself from showing her worry. “Uh, no, there’s nothing.”

“Don’t bullshit me, Max, I know you better than that.”

She glanced at the bluenette, who was looking at her with a mixture of concern and annoyance in her features. She swallowed, trying to fight the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

Chloe must’ve seen the look on her face because she sighed and turned back around to face in front of them. “Fine, never mind. But if you ever wanna tell me, you can tell me anything, you know?”

Relieved, Max nodded. Another moment of silence passed between them before Max moved to lay her head on Chloe’s shoulder, feeling exhaustion as her bones refused to carry her anymore.

Although she tensed slightly, Chloe eventually relaxed under the contact. Max was so soft, so familiar, it felt comforting to have her so close. She didn’t make any movements, simply kept still and quiet, feeling the other girl breathing slowly. 

Whatever she had been through in the past few years, it was weighing on her, and she couldn’t shake it. Chloe had wanted to give her a piece of her mind when she’d first arrived, but how could she?

“Isn’t this adorable?” Came a sneering voice that made the two girls look up. 

Max didn’t know her yet, but she did at the same time. Victoria Chase wore the persona of a head bitch in charge, with a mocking expression to match. Her hair was perfectly done up and her clothes wore designer logos that Max didn’t know a single thing about.

It hit her after a few seconds. 

The other blonde on the floor of the memory.

Her mouth going dry again, Max said nothing.

“Looks like the loser punk finally got a new toy. Rachel finally ditch you?”

“Fuck off, Vicky.”

“Oooh, touchy.”

The banter continued for a minute, Max completely lost in the look in Victoria’s eyes. Her cheeks were pink, she was clearly very much alive, but she couldn’t shake the memory of her laying on the ground, groaning softly. This was going to be tougher to deal with than she thought.

“Do I have something on my face?”

Realizing she was being addressed, Max drifted back into focus.

“Huh?”

“Are you slow?”

“Don’t talk to her like that,” Chloe snarled, her anger starting to bubble.

“Whatever. I have better things to do than to be seen speaking to the help.” She grinned gloriously, as though she’d won the argument, and stalked away. Max was completely zoned out again, only Chloe’s voice breaking her out of her thoughts.

“You look like you saw a ghost again,” the bluenette commented, voice right back to the mixture of slightly annoyed and slightly concerned. 

Max shook her head. “Uh… she just looked like someone I know, that’s all.”

Chloe seemed to believe her, gratefully. As she explained who Victoria was, Max found herself zoning out again. She wasn’t sure she’d ever come back to this world in full, always dancing through the memories of a different Max.

\---------

The girls had remained true to their promise to show Max around Arcadia Bay five years after she left. She was shown a few new plazas of stores, the familiar docks, the playground, the cafe, and everywhere else she could possibly think of.

It was nearing evening now and their stomachs were rumbling, but they had one more stop to make. Max had been more than willing to go until now, when they finally pulled into the parking lot and began their way up.

She noticed right away that her footsteps became a bit more sluggish, as though the universe itself was trying to stop her from going to the lighthouse. It was demanding she didn’t go up there, trying to protect her from it.

Stopping just a few meters of the top of the hill, she felt her stomach start to turn dangerously. Her eyes suddenly burned, her throat felt like it was on fire. She paused, leaning against a tree, her breathing starting to pick up speed. 

Fuck.

Rachel was the one who noticed first, approaching her. “Max, are you okay?” She asked quietly, concern in her expression. 

“Yeah, I’m --” Max paused, her mouth feeling like lead. Panic was filling her mind, and she didn’t know why. “I don’t think I can - I don’t think I can go up there.”

“Hey, our tree’s still up here!” Chloe called from a distance, chuckling. “I’m gonna add Rachel to it.”

“It’s okay. I can help you. When we get on a bench up there, you can sit down. It’s a far walk, I know. You can lean on me.”

Rachel’s tone was so gentle, so concerned, that Max fought off her anxiety-ridden mind enough to nod.

That came to be a mistake. As they finally approached the top, Max found herself leaning on Rachel even more heavily. When they reached the bench and Rachel let her go, the blinding white light returned, this time filling her mind with so much pain that she cried out. 

What timeline she cried out in, she didn’t know.

_Suddenly, the sun had set, surrounding them in darkness. Rachel was gone, and standing in front of her was a slightly older-looking Chloe, her hair blowing in the wind. Max may have noticed the storm if she wasn’t so entranced in Chloe’s expression._

_“Max? What are you waiting for?”_

_Max swallowed loudly, trying to compose herself. She realized then that she was holding something in her hands, a photo of a butterfly. As she examined it, her eyes caught the storm heading for Arcadia Bay._

_Suddenly, she remembered._

_Looking at Chloe, she realized she was dancing through a memory once again and had no control over her actions. She couldn’t stop herself as she ripped up the photo, throwing it into the wind, exclaiming a “fuck that!” as it got lost in the wind._

_Next to her, Chloe looked torn between being angry and relieved. Before she could say anything else, she felt the bluenette’s arms wrap around her tightly. Holding her back, she buried her face in her shoulder, refusing to face the storm._

_The memory may have lasted seconds, but for Max, it felt like hours. Hours before Chloe said something, forcing the brunette to lift her head. Chloe squeezed her a little tighter, looking down at the other girl with red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “Max, are you sure?” She asked the brunette, her voice incredibly shaky._

_Max moved to answer but found she wasn’t in control of her mouth. Instead, she leaned up, pressing her lips to Chloe’s in a desperate, emotional kiss. She felt the other girl wrap her up tighter, holding her as close as possible as she kissed her back, resting their foreheads together when they had to break for air._

_Sobs broke through the air and Max realized she was still crying. Hands touched her cheeks and Chloe kissed her again, ignoring the pain of the hard rain around them, ignoring the storm on the shore, ignoring anything but each other._

_“You and me,” Chloe whispered, only loud enough for Max to hear._

_“You and me against the world, forever.”_

When Max came to, her head was on the ground, her every limb shaking.

“Max?!” Asked Rachel nervously as she reached out for her. Max, still stuck between the memory and the present moment, jolted back violently, letting out a strangled cry as she regained control of her limbs. 

The world slowly came back into focus and she noticed how both girls were looking at her in worry. Unable to face them, she lowered her head into her hands, feeling her body shake even more violently. A thousand emotions came to a head and she didn’t know how to react to them. 

Was there a fucking guide book for this time travel thing? Why the hell did she need to see that memory specifically?

 _“FUCK!”_ She shouted suddenly, seeing the girls jump at her sudden outburst. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! What the hell!” Frustrated, she lifted her head from her hands and looked up at the sky. “What the _FUCK!”_

The girls remained silent for a moment, letting Max compose herself. The brunette moved to stand up, feeling anger filling her brain -- anger at the universe, at the Other Max, and at herself for not stopping the storm. Grabbing her hair, she let out another angry groan, moving towards the edge of the cliff, looking over the horizon.

“This is so unfair,” she whispered, her voice shaking as much as her hands were. “This is so fucking unfair. This is so fucking unfair.”

After a few more seconds, Max realized she needed to get the fuck out of there. She quickly grabbed her bag off the ground and started to run. 

“Max!” Chloe called after her, starting to follow. Rachel did the same, trying to keep up with the brunette’s pace. She desperately needed to get away from the lighthouse, already feeling more memories starting to break through the barrier of her brain.

As she’d guessed, they faded as she made her way away from the lighthouse. When they hit the parking lot again, she finally let herself stop, feeling her legs ache from how quickly she’d run. Dropping her bag, she fell to her knees, trying to catch her breath.

“Max, what the actual fuck?” Chloe asked between heavy breaths as she caught up to her. Rachel, looking disheveled, echoed the same sentiment on her face. “What the fuck was that? Are you okay?!”

Max shook her head.

“Was it another memory?” Rachel asked quietly.

Max shook her head again. Not exactly.

A few seconds of silence passed between them before Chloe moved to kneel in front of her, staring determinately at the other girl. 

“Max, you have to tell us what’s going on. Please.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Max.


	5. Some Things Never Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remind her how it used to be.

Max had chosen the treehouse to tell them everything.

It was oddly still intact, even a little decked out from Chloe still using it in the years in between. It had joints laying around, books and empty game cases sprawled about. Chloe and Rachel sat on bean bags on one side, listening to her carefully, while Max sat on the floor and spoke. As she spoke, she held the planner in her hands.

She didn’t want to tell them every single detail. Instead, she decided to pick and choose what she told them. She explained that she woke up one day with a video from Other Max, explaining what was going to happen at Blackwell in October of 2013. She explained that Rachel went missing, and she explained that the memory of Jefferson hurting her was a memory from a different time. 

She left out that they’d found Rachel’s body, and she left out how many times Chloe had died. She explained the storm that was coming, and explained the bare bones of her plan to fix everything, but avoided going into detail about it, and avoided saying who died in the storm. 

She didn't explain anything about Rachel and Frank, and definitely didn’t explain her relationship with Chloe. 

Max also had to choose her words very carefully to make sure that Chloe understood she came back to Arcadia Bay to see her, not just because Other Max told her to. She wasn’t sure if Chloe believed her, but she could see that she appreciated the effort.

By the time she was done explaining, the moon was up, the stars out. The two other girls had been mostly quiet, listening carefully. When Max finished, Rachel stood up and began to pace around the room.

“So, let me get this straight,” she started, scratching the back of her head. “I go missing soon, thanks to Nathan and Jefferson, right?”

Max nodded.

“Okay, so I avoid them as much as possible. That’s one problem solved. Then, in October, there’s a big storm that wipes out the town, right? But, before that, you befriend someone named Kate, who kills herself thanks to Jefferson and Nathan, again. And there’s a whole thing with you having memories of that timeline but they just come to you in random moments and you black out, right?”

When Max nodded again, Chloe finally spoke up. “And you’re a time traveler.”

“Right, you’re a goddamn time traveler, too.” Rachel paused, moving to sit down on the bean bag again. “Holy fuck.”

“Holy fuck is right,” Max mumbled, looking at her hands. The planner in her hands was meant to be for her eyes only, but she gently handed it over to the other girls, who began to go through it. She hadn’t gone very far in it, otherwise she would’ve noticed a date in October that said “first kiss”, and the way it made Chloe’s cheeks go red.

Other Max hadn’t said the day that they found Rachel’s body, but she had noted “DARK ROOM” in big letters over one specific day, which is when Rachel closed the book. Handing it back to Max, there was a lull in conversation as they tried to process.

“Max, this is fucking insane,” Chloe finally said, shaking her head. “This is literally fucking insane. You’re a time traveler and your future self told you that you have to save all of these people? What the fuck?”

“What the fuck is right,” Max repeated, her voice still in a mumble. She took the planner back, sticking it in her bag. After a second, she put her head in her hands again, muffling a sob that was threatening to break out. “I don’t know why me. Other Max gave me a million names of people to save and I -- I don’t know how I’m supposed to do it --”

Chloe stood up, walking over to Max’s side. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, she sat next to, watching Rachel, who shared the same concerned expression. “Well, first thing’s first, do you still have your powers? I mean, if the storm is coming anyway, might as well use them if we need to, right?”

“It would open a lot of doors for us,” Rachel agreed with a nod.

Max sighed, shaking her head. “I don’t know, I’m scared to try.”

“Go for it. Nothing to be scared of.”

Max sighed once more, figuring she had to. It was important that they knew. Reaching her right hand up, she gently pawed the air, feeling time start to slow around her. The ache in her brain only grew but she continued, until --

Chloe stood up, walking over to Max’s side. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, she sat next to, watching Rachel, who shared the same concerned expression. “Well, first thing’s first, do you still have your powers? I mean, if the storm is coming anyway, might as well use them if we need to, right?”

After Max had let go of time, she was surprised to see that her nose wasn’t bleeding. 

“It works. I just tried it.”

“Oh,” said both girls at the same time, looking at Max, who looked exhausted. She dropped her hand, closing her eyes slowly.

Chloe squeezed her grip on her friend, encouraging her to lay her head on her shoulder. As she obeyed, she felt Rachel sit next to her, wrapping her arm around Max’s waist instead and laying her head on Max’s other shoulder.

They sat like that for a minute before Max spoke again. “You know, Rachel, when you were missing, Chloe spent every day looking for her.”

Rachel lifted her head, smirking. “Wow, crushing on me much?”

As Chloe said a disgruntled “no!” Max said a confident “yes”. The three of them broke into a fit of giggles before long. The brunette allowed herself to relax a little bit.

\---------

Sunday night rolled around, which marked Max’s last day in Arcadia Bay for a while. As she was leaving the next morning, the girls decided to camp out in Chloe’s room and organize a plan for the upcoming year.

Once Max started at Blackwell, they would have only about a month to get everything sorted. Therefore, they had to work quickly, and the other girls would have to work on the whole situation over the summer. In front of them was a large cork board with notes written all over it, thanks to the empty notebook she’d been given earlier.

As luck would have it, David was working tonight, so they were free, aside from Joyce occasionally checking in on them before bed. Max sat on the floor, writing on the notepad as Rachel sat on the desk, laptop in her lap. Chloe remained on the bed, smoking and watching them.

On the cork board was a series of names. Nathan and Jefferson had their own side, while Victoria and Kate had the other side. At the bottom, David and Wells had their claim of territory, while the storm and Frank had the final empty area.

Max made notes. She had taken a few minutes to write all she knew about Nathan, which wasn’t much, and added it to his side. All she knew about Jefferson was a lot more - like where the bunker was located, the girls he wanted to pick, where he got his money from, and when his classes were. David’s side had a lot more info from Chloe, but she only knew about his douchebagness - Max had added notes about the cameras in the school, his patrols in October, and how he’d been looking into Jefferson. She avoided making notes about the cameras in the house, although she had made sure to secretly destroy the one in this room before they started.

The storm was mostly empty, as was Well’s side, aside from a note about the handicap money and the files on his computer. Frank’s was filled with descriptions about how he’d sold drugs to Nathan and when, along with a vague note about how he had a heavy interest in Rachel, which made Rachel vow to keep away from him from now on. Bonus.

Victoria had a note on why she acted the way she did, and Kate had a note about the date of her suicide, the video, and so on. 

In conclusion, the board was overly detailed, and before long they’d formulated something of a plan to try and figure this out.

“Okay, so,” Chloe began, eyeing the board. “The most important thing right now is Nathan and Jefferson. They’re the ones who kidnap you, Rachel, so you’re not gonna be involved in this until Max comes back.” She eyed Rachel to make sure the blonde nodded in approval before she continued. “Step-douche is looking into them, it doesn't look like during the time from now until October they do much else, so we’ll just keep our distance, right Max?”

Max nodded, so Chloe continued. “Except for Kate Marsh. They get her early in the school year and drug her. When Max comes back to school, she needs to immediately befriend Kate Marsh, and make sure she doesn’t go to the party. Right?”

“Yeah. We don’t need the video for evidence on Jefferson, all it does is make Kate --”

Chloe skated right over it. “Right, so Rachel, our goal is also to befriend Kate. We have to not be so bitchy to Victoria, too, I guess.”

Max nodded her approval again but Rachel groaned. “Why not?”

“You didn’t see her on the floor of Jefferson’s,” Max explained somberly. “She’s a victim, too. The last thing I want is to hurt more people.”

“Right, whatever,” Chloe continued, ignoring Victoria for now. “Next time is Wells, we have to ignore him, no more pranks and shit.” Rachel frowned, making Chloe grin at her. “I know, I know, it sucks ass. Step-douche is next, apparently nothing I do impacts what he does at Blackwell so I can continue to be normal to him as I wish, right Max?”

Max rolled her eyes but approved.

“And finally, Frank.” She tapped the board with her pen. “Rachel, we have to stay away from him, apparently he’s got some kind of weird obsession with you?” Chloe shuddered and so did the other two, although for Max it was for different reasons. “He’s selling drugs to Nathan. When Max comes back, she has a plan to grab his shit and use it for evidence. For now we lay low.”

Putting the cap back on her pen, she moved to sit back on the bed. “Basically, Rachel and I have to keep our heads low and befriend the girls of Blackwell, while Max will help us do the hard shit when she gets back. Right?”

Max spoke up now. “We want to try and remain true to this timeline, even though you guys know everything already. If all of this gets fucked up while I’m in Seattle, then we’re stuck like this.” She took a deep breath, making a new note and pinning it up. “Other Max basically let herself disappear to keep you two alive, so that’s what we’re focused on right now. She also wrote a whole planner for me to help me keep track of days. I just have to make sure I’m here to do it, so I’ll focus on getting into Blackwell, and you guys focus on staying alive.”

She moved to stand up, facing the two with a nervous expression. “It’s really important that you guys follow the steps, okay? If we fuck up, I’m scared of what’ll happen if I have to go back again. Please.”

“We got you, Max. You’re the boss,” Rachel agreed, grinning. 

Relieved, Max reached for her bag, grabbing her camera that she hadn’t used since she got here, but Other Max told her to keep it. She snapped a quick pic of the scene, pocketing it quickly, mumbling something about a “save point”.

A few hours later, the girls were sprawled out on the bed, with Max in the middle of the two of them. The other girl laid on their sides, watching Max as she spoke.

“I think that’s when I figured it out, you know?” She paused, her eyebrows furrowing. “Sometimes I wonder if Other Me had the exact same past, or if some things were different. Even just little things, like maybe she had different teachers than me or something. Sadly I don’t think I’ll ever know, and technically Other Me is me now, and she’s erased from time now, and I can’t ask her things.”

Chloe whistled. “That’s a lot of mindblowing shit, Max. Careful, you’ll make your cute little head explode.”

Max frowned. “I’m never telling you anything anymore.”

As Chloe scoffed, Rachel joined in on the fun. “Chloe, don’t act like you’d be able to keep track. You'd probably explode if there were multiple yous.”

“There are! Didn’t you hear her? Tell me about Other Me, Max.”

Max faltered, not wanting to go into detail, but eventually she did, picking her words as carefully as possible. “Well, you were just like you right now. Just a lot more sad, because you didn’t have Rachel. And after the storm, we both just had a lot of guilt.” Nervously, Max bit her lower lip but didn’t dare move otherwise, not wanting to bring an awareness to the other girls of how close they all were. “We just drove away. If I remember correctly. Stayed at shitty motels and stuff.”

There was a silence for a moment, everyone seemed to be deep in thought. Rachel was giving the two girls a knowing smile, her free hand resting on Max’s arm. She waited for Chloe to piece it together, but it seemed the bluenette was still kind of clueless.

“Glad to know we were still friends, though,” Chloe said thoughtfully, gently using her own free hand to move some hair out of Max’s face.

Having both of them so close was making Max’s heart swell in a weird way. Chloe was so close she could almost kiss her, but she wasn’t sure what memories would come back up if she did so. Plus this wasn't the other timeline, she couldn't just do that. She could feel Chloe's breath, could smell her cigarettes, could see the blue sparks in her eyes. Rachel on her other side was just as warm, giving her a similar feeling, and confusing the shit out of her. It was like she was between two of her favourite breeds of puppies and all she could do was close her eyes and enjoy the sensation. 

So, she did. As Max’s eyes closed, she found herself scooting a little bit, aiming to be closer to either of them. Sleep overtook her just as she felt both of them scoot in closer, keeping her warm and safe.

\---------

“I promise I’ll come back.”

Chloe didn’t have to say it, Max could read it in her face. She stood in front of the airport, the cold wind in her hair as she watched her friend look at her in worry. Realizing she’d been found out, Chloe slowly nodded, swallowing. “Yeah, I know, Maxie,” she said, her voice not as convincing as she thought.

Stepping forward, Max pulled her into a hug. She squeezed her tightly, leaning over to kiss her on the side of the head before she whispered in her ear. “I love you,” she said quietly, feeling Chloe shiver at the words. She hoped that Chloe took it platonically, but she was fully aware that she herself didn’t mean it that way.

Some things never change.

Once they let go, Rachel reached in for her own hug. She copied Max’s movements, kissing her on the side of the head, surprised when Max let out a little squeak in surprise, grin on her face when they parted.

Back to Seattle it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End part one!
> 
> The next part will start the timeline of Life Is Strange, for the most part. It'll be the longest part so strap in for a fun ride! 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Returning Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that's how it works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So begins part two.

The summer passed by mostly without event.

True to their word, Rachel and Chloe kept their heads down and out of trouble as much as possible. Chloe even got a part time job at a local grocery store and began to save us some money, planning to leave Arcadia Bay as soon as this was over. The original plan had been for her and Rachel to run off right when Rachel graduated, but with their new mission, that would have to wait. There was an unspoken agreement between her and Rachel that they would wait until Max graduated, too.

They visited Seattle for Max’s birthday, where Chloe gave her her dad’s camera, triggering another flashback that had her parents worried but had Max and Chloe hugging and crying.

As time went on, Max found that she understood completely why Chloe fell so hard for Rachel during their time together. She was soft and understanding, always aware of what she was doing and always making sure Max was taken care of. It didn’t help that whenever they were together, she was so physically affectionate and always had a hand on either of them, making Max blush like an idiot whenever her hands were on her.

Despite the distance, she felt like their friendship was thriving. The girls kept her updated every day, and once Rachel was out of school, they would often Facetime her when she was chilling at home and they would just hang out like normal.

However, the closer that September got, the more nervous Max got. She knew that there was a chance this would all go downhill very quickly, and she couldn’t help but put a bit of distance between her and her girls, although it wasn’t exactly on purpose. She just couldn’t get out of her head no matter how she tried. 

The last thing she wanted was to drive a wedge between them, especially when Chloe hadn’t completely gotten over the five years apart. Thankfully, she seemed to understand and give her space when needed, knowing things would improve when she got back to Arcadia Bay.

Somehow, by some miracle, they had managed to get her on Facetime the night before she was set to return to Arcadia Bay. Despite her initial nervousness, they eventually broke through her barriers, making her laugh loudly in the quiet of her house. Rachel had a tendency to flirt with the both of them heavily until they were both red in the face, and she didn’t let up that night. When Max finally hung up after some time, she found herself thinking about it just a little too much.

She should’ve expected them to be waiting for her at the airport, but it still came as a shock when she saw them. Chloe hung back while Rachel ran forward, meeting Max halfway and pulling her into a hug. Max held onto her tightly, surprised at how much she missed the other girl.

Still clinging to her like her life depended on it, she let out a laugh when Chloe finally joined them and hugged them both. As they parted, Max shook her head.

“Took you long enough, Chloe,” Rachel scoffed with a grin.

“I’m a smoker, I don’t run,” the bluenette commented with a shrug. She was trying hard to be casual, but the gleam in her eyes and the relief in her expression gave her away. Intending on embarrassing her further, Max leaned up to kiss her on the cheek before picking up her bags so they could go to the car. Although she was successful in making Chloe blush and mutter something about “making a move on her”, she was surprised at how it made her stomach flip when she did it.

Packing the truck only took a few minutes, and before long they were on the road. They had gotten Max a milkshake on the way up, and the drive was made easier with music and simply catching up with each other. A couple of hours later, Max fell quiet, simply enjoying the two other girls being engaged in some random conversation.

Jolted awake, she realized she’d fallen asleep when she heard the driver’s side door open and the music cut out. Lifting her head from Rachel’s shoulder, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she climbed out of the truck.

It was evening now, the sun slowly falling over the horizon. Once the bags had been evenly distributed among them, they made their way to the dorms.

Max felt her nervousness increase as they approached the dorms. Here, so many things had happened in the other timeline, she felt a horror in her heart as she realized that she would soon be assaulted with memories. Instinctively, she reached for whoever was closest, which happened to be Rachel. The blonde let Max hold onto her arm as they entered the dorms.

Her breath caught in her throat as she watched the front door of the dorms slowly open. Memories were prickling at the surface, but they weren’t quite close enough to reach. An overwhelming sense of grief and doom seemed to crowd her, and her breathing became less controlled as time went on. Rachel must have noticed, for she pulled Max along as quickly as she could towards her room.

Once they were inside the mostly empty dorm room, Max felt the feeling fade a little bit. Still, it was biting at her, and she had to pause for a moment to sit down. She noticed the other two girls exchange a look but she didn’t say anything, she just sat down.

“Max?” Rachel said after some time, which must’ve been maybe ten or fifteen minutes later, although it felt like hours. Her voice was gentle, reassuring, and completely unfamiliar in this room - which was, honestly, a good thing right now. It brought her back to her current reality and not into a void of nothing but memories trying to break the surface.

“Hm?” She asked, looking up at the blonde, who was standing in the middle of the room. Even in the shitty dorm lighting she was beautiful, her smile inviting, and Max was reminded of things she had been trying to bury over the summer.

“Chloe went to grab a pizza. Can I sit?” She asked, gesturing at the bed. Max nodded and scooted over, not realizing she was still sitting in the middle of it, looking lost. How long had she been zoned out? There hadn’t been any dreams breaking completely through this time, just nothingness, but she was terrified of what was waiting for her.

As Rachel sat next to her, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and she leaned into it, laying her head on the blonde’s shoulder. Sighing softly, she kept quiet as she lost herself in the warmth of Rachel’s touch, allowing it to ground her.

“Better?” Rachel whispered, smiling down at her. Max nodded, grateful that Rachel understood what she needed at any given moment. “Good.”

That’s how Chloe found them a few minutes later, leading to a sound that sounded like a mix between a surprised cry and a laugh from Chloe.

“Should I be jealous?” She questioned as she set the pizza down on the empty desk. 

“Max wanted to cuddle instead of unpacking,” Rachel said simply, winking at the brunette. Although it made her blush deeply, she was grateful that Rachel didn’t tell Chloe about how she had still been completely gone after Chloe left. She really didn’t want to have to go into detail about the feeling of dread that she felt by sitting in this room.

An hour or so later, the girls were curled up on the floor, a movie playing on Max’s unpacked laptop, the pizza fully eaten.

Max had fallen asleep already, and the two girls tried to plant her on the bed without disturbing her. She stirred a little bit before she fell back asleep without event, and they were able to leave.

Rachel decided to walk Chloe to her car, a habit they’d picked up in an attempt to keep each other safe during the summer without Max. They walked quietly, mostly lost in thought, simply enjoying the cool September night air. Before long, Rachel had reached out to take Chloe’s hand, and she took it happily.

Feelings were confusing, both girls realized. It had always been complicated between them, but Max was an addition to the equation that made little to no sense. Still, it wasn’t a topic of normal discussion between them, so they kept it in their heads.

Once they reached the car, Rachel gave her a brief hug. 

“Lunch tomorrow?” She asked the bluenette with a smile. “Our usual spot?”

“‘Course,” Chloe answered with a smirk. “I’ll bring Max’s usual, too.”

Rachel nodded before she paused, hesitating for a moment. “Do you think she’ll be okay? I mean, based off what she said, she went through a lot of trauma here. I’m kind of freaked out for her.”

Chloe shrugged. “She’s got us. We’ll do what we can to protect her. That’s all we can do, right?”

They exchanged a look before agreeing that, yeah, that’s all they could do.

\---------

_This memory wasn’t the one she expected._

_Max was standing outside of her dorm room, recognizing the hallway. Her legs trembled as she slowly felt herself move forward, her feet touching the floor slowly but with purpose._

_The door she was heading towards was one she dreaded to see, but knew she was going to see it at some point. It was covered in flowers, in goodbye notes, in a large scribbling of the word “sorry” on the whiteboard next to it. Her friend’s photo was in the middle of the floor, looking up at her. Polaroids littered the display and she vaguely remembered planting those herself._

_Her stomach turned violently, even stronger so when she noticed the door was opened and there was the sound of crying on the other side of the door. Carefully, Max found herself lifting a hand, moving so slow it might as well not be moving at all. When she opened the door just a tiny crack more. When she saw who was inside, she immediately turned away, not wanting to intrude._

_Victoria Chase never looked so small and so vulnerable._

Max flew out of her bed as the dream shook her awake, almost stumbling onto her feet as she moved to stand. 

Holy fuck.

It was the first of many horrifying memories that she knew she would have to deal with. When there was a knock at the door, the feeling only grew, crashing into her like a freight train when she opened it and saw the girl on the other side.

“Um -- hi! I’m Kate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that one was a little short, but hopefully it's worth it! I wanted to establish the timeline a bit more, we're now in September 2013, where the fateful year begins. As I mentioned before, please forgive me for any errors in dates, as it's been a while since I've played the whole game through.
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone.


	7. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't want you to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I'd throw up two chapters tonight since I missed posting yesterday.

She realized, then, that she wasn’t exactly dressed to make new friends.

Max was wearing her clothes from last night; still in a pair of jeans that were riding up, and a shirt that was messy as could be. Her hoodie had been discarded, but she looked like she just rolled out of a drunken stupor. A glance at the clock would’ve told her it was almost six, the sunlight streaming through the window behind her.

Kate stood at the door, looking prim and proper as ever. Her outfit was white, her cross hanging off her neck, with a pair of comfortable grey slacks on. She had a beautiful smile on her face, one that Max wasn’t used to seeing.

Suddenly, it all came back to her.

_The scene disappeared around her, but Kate’s face stayed in the same spot. Instead of standing in her room, she was standing on the roof, water frozen around them in droplets. Kate’s expression changed from a friendly greeting to something else entirely. She looked broken beyond repair_

_Max tried to walk forward but found that her feet didn’t move. Kate was saying something, but she was totally lost in, making it sound like she was speaking through a tunnel. As hard as she tried to focus, she couldn’t --_

“Hello?” Questioned Kate, her face suddenly transforming back into the Kate she knew now. She looked a little worried, but otherwise calm.

_“Max?” Asked the other Kate as the scene transformed once more, and Kate was looking at her with a completely different expression on._

This didn’t feel like the kind of memory she’d had before. She faded in and out, as though Max was dancing in between two worlds. Which she sort of was.

_“Max, are you --”_

“ -- there? Hello? --”

_“Max?”_

_As the world began to dramatically shift between each Kate, Max felt her head start to pound. Gripping the sides of her head. She desperately tried to hold onto reality, to no avail. The sound of rain and nature hit her ears as loud as the silence of the dorm did, and she couldn’t figure out where the fuck she was._

“I’m just looking for my --”

_“ -- hope. I have none anymore --”_

“ -- I thought I saw her run in --”

_“ -- Let me go --”_

“ -- Are you there? --”

_“ -- Max, I'm sorry --”_

_Max let out a strangled noise that could be a mix between a scream and a cry, before her eyes opened. Now, she was permanently in one spot - on the roof. Kate looked at her with a sad smile, and before she could stop it, she was falling backwards --_

“Whoa!” Cried out Kate of reality as Max fell to the ground, still gripping her head. Reaching out, she stopped her from hitting her head on the ground, concern written all over her features. “Are you okay?!”

Max, trying to breathe normally, curled up further into herself, feeling her heart beating a thousand times faster in her chest. As she tried to find the words to speak, she let the sight of Kate and the sound of her voice slowly bring her back to reality.

“Your nose is bleeding,” Kate commented quietly as she let go of Max to find some tissues, presumably the ones left by Rachel just in case. She grabbed them, making her way back to the other girl, offering them to her.

“Thanks,” Max mumbled as she slowly moved to sit up, still gripping her head with one hand. “Fuck. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Kate said, her voice soft and honest as it always was. As she moved to stand up, she offered Max her hand, which the brunette happily took.

Resisting the urge to hug Kate, she couldn’t help but stare a little bit as she noticed how the girl looked so different now. A lot happier, a lot more shy, without those hopeless eyes that had led to her jumping off the roof. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she smiled softly at Kate. “I get nosebleeds sometimes, and really bad headaches.”

“I see that,” Kate reassured, still with that soft smile on her lips. Max was struck again by her beauty, and she made a mental note to beat the shit out of Victoria if that whole video scenario happened again. “I was just looking for my bunny. I thought I saw her run in this direction, have you seen her?”

Max shook her head. “No, but I’ll keep an eye out. I’m Max, by the way.”

She offered her hand, noticing how Kate faltered when she saw how much it was shaking. Eventually, Kate shook it back, her firm grip but her strength weak, and Max found it adorable. 

“I should go look for her, then,” Kate said, heading for the door. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” The brunette smiled softly. “It’s nice to meet you, Kate. I hope we can be friends.”

“Me too, Max!”

\---------

Max’s feet couldn’t move at all.

Standing outside of the Blackwell doors, some ten minutes before classes began, she was completely frozen.

No memory was coming to her, she just simply could not move.

Suddenly, she was jarred back to reality by the feeling of a hand on the small of her back. Turning, she saw Rachel standing next to her, smiling at her softly. “Ready to go in, supergirl?” She asked quietly, to which Max slowly nodded.

“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“Good.”

Rachel kept her hand on Max’s back as she led them inside, not at all surprised when Max stiffened up as soon as they were through the doors. Like always, the inside of Blackwell was full of rowdy boys and annoying gossipers, but Rachel kept her focus entirely on her friend as they made their way to the locker at the end of the hall, which Max already knew off by heart.

As they approached, ignoring everyone, Rachel leaned against the locker next to her as she waited. Max’s hands trembled like a leaf when she tried to put her combo in, and after a few seconds of cursing, Rachel reached out to take it from her.

The contact of their hands made Max blush, but she dropped the lock right away. “I got it, sweetie,” Rachel reassured, turning the dial it was unlocked.

“Thanks, Rachel,” she mumbled softly. The blonde simply nodded.

“What kind of loser hangs around a school after she leaves?” Victoria challenged as she approached them with her goons intact. She looked as nice as ever, wearing a jacket around her shoulders and makeup on her features. She would be beautiful if she wasn’t so mean. Rachel, true to her word of ignoring Victoria, simply shrugged in response. The other girl scoffed, not pleased by the answer. “You don’t have to be the little hipster’s bitch, you know.”

Max was still trembling as she pulled her books out. Not thanks to Victoria’s taunting, but rather, because her voice brought back strange memories. Ones of Victoria on Kate’s floor, sobbing, of Victoria on the steps, opening up to Max for the first time - of Victoria’s panicked voicemail before the storm took her --

Slamming her locker shut, Max unintentionally made the group go silent. She turned around, finding herself face-to-face with Victoria.

“Excuse me, please,” she asked quietly.

Victoria’s eyes narrowed, didn’t move right away. In response, Max lifted her head, and looked her right in the eye.

“You need to watch out for your own, Victoria. Not mine,” she said, causing Victoria to go stiff and glare even harder.

It worked, and Max was able to move past her. Rachel, knowing full well that Max was uncovering memories, quickly followed her, grabbing her arm gently and holding onto it. Grounding her once again.

The day passed by mostly quietly from that point on, lunch was boring and spent outside on the benches.

By the time Jefferson’s class came around, Max found herself standing outside the doors of the school, having a panic attack.

Rachel, true to her word, was there in seconds. Holding onto Max’s shoulders, she whispered reassurances to her before eventually Max fell onto her and they were hugging. She tried to regain control of her breathing while burying her head in Rachel’s shoulder, breathing in the scent of her perfume. 

Whatever she was whispering in Max’s ear was working, and before long the brunette felt herself returning to life. She finally heard the soft whispers of “I got you” breaking through her thoughts, and when she pulled away, she felt a little better.

“Thank you,” she whispered to Rachel, trying to put a smile on her face. Rachel responded with a smile of her own.

“Anytime, Max. I’m always just a phone call away, okay?”

Max nodded, grateful for the support. Rachel leaned in and for a second her breath caught in her throat before she felt lips press down on her forehead. Rachel grinned at the mark of lipstick that it left and the way Max blushed all the way down to her toes.

Max would try to ignore that feeling of disappointment she felt when she realized where the kiss was going to be planted. This wasn’t the time for dumb high school crushes.

After their little moment outside, Max made her way back inside, still rubbing the lipstick off her forehead. Once she was confident it was off, she made her way back towards her familiar seat in the back of the classroom, filling in as the rest did the same.

She thought seeing Mark Jefferson again would trigger some memories. Instead, it seemed to do the opposite, and Max found her mind went completely blank at the sight of him. She expected hate and anger to fill her heart, but there was an emptiness there, she was completely disassociating.

The brunette was brought back to reality when she heard snickering and looked up to see Victoria and some of the boys, near her throwing things at Kate behind her back. Kate looked mildly annoyed, but nothing serious. Nathan was missing entirely. Max shook her head - some things never changed. If they knew what they were in the room with…

“Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves to each other,” Mark said, turning around from the board and frowning at the kids throwing paper around. “One at a time, please. Start up here.”

As people droned on, Max continued to space out, examining the desk in front of her as though it was fascinating. Hayden’s loud chortle broke through her thoughts as he recited some sort of practiced joke which made half the class snicker and Mark frown in annoyance. He wasn’t a fan of boys, but Max knew that already.

Now that she knew the truth about him, she could see a lot of microaggressions in his expression. What were once admiring eyes to her were hungry eyes now, what was once slight annoyance was pure anger and evil. The eyes were the gateway to the soul, and Max could see his soul clear as day.

If she was a vengeful person, she’d snuff it out now. But she knew she had to bide her tone, she had to wait.

It didn’t mean she felt any less anger when he looked at one of the girls with a curious expression on his stupid ugly features.

“Ms. Chase, what about you?”

Victoria sat up straight and so did Max, eyeing the other girl carefully. 

“My name is Victoria Chase, _obviously._ My parents own the Zeitgeist galleries in Portland and San Diego, along with several others.”

“The mention of galleries is an excellent lead into the Everyday Heroes contest, which we will discuss next class,” Mark agreed, excited twinkle in his eyes as he encouraged Victoria to continue. Victoria looked pleased with herself but Max felt sick to her stomach. As she droned on about her photographer inspirations, Max glanced over at Kate, who looked increasingly nervous.

“Thank you, Ms. Chase. That was insightful. Ms. Marsh, what about you?”

“Um.” Kate shifted in her seat uncomfortably. “My name is Kate, I grew up here. I have a bunny named Alice. I draw a lot of inspiration from photographers such as Elanvita Mandley and --”

“Jesus freak,” mumbled Victoria from the corner, which earned another nervous shuffle from Kate and a few chuckles around the room. Max could see Kate struggling not to mention her religion and her past, and she pawed at her necklace as she continued.

“ -- Um, that’s it, I think,” she finally said, scratching her bun and looking down at the floor.

Mark looked interested, but moved on quickly. “Thank you, Ms. Marsh. What about you, Ms. Caulfield?”

All eyes fell on Max and she felt frozen to the spot. Looking up, she spied Mark eyeing her curiously. Her mouth went dry. 

It was as though she could hear her powers calling to her, reminding her that they were still there, that she had a way out.

She got an idea.

Biting her lip back, she debated how to start. Mark looked at her expectantly. She began, carefully treading her toes in the water.

“My name is Max Caulfield,” she began, eyeing the man standing at the desk. “I grew up here, too. I moved to Seattle a few years ago and then I moved back for Blackwell.”

“And what drew you to Blackwell?” Asked Mark, attempting to engage in casual conversation. 

Max didn’t hesitate to put her plan into motion, moving to stand up, her chair squeaking loudly against the floor. She was acting on autopilot at this point, acting out the fantasies she’d had all summer, ever since she’d gained Other Max’s memory of him. A part of her almost felt like this was Other Max taking over.

But she could remember Other Max’s memories of him. She could remember Chloe’s anger whenever she mentioned it. She could remember the protective expression on Rachel’s face when she’d called her at 4am sobbing from another nightmare.

“Isn’t it obvious?” She asked softly, stepping out from behind her desk. Her limbs shook with nervousness, but her voice remained steady, confidence starting to rise as she saw Mark’s confused face. “I moved back for you, Jefferson. My biggest inspiration in photography, of course.”

Mark looked confused for a brief moment but quickly put the mask back on, smiling softly at her. She could see the curiosity in his eyes. “I’m flattered, Max. I hope I can live up to your expectations.”

“You know what my favourite part about your work is?” She asked Mark, still approaching him. She stepped a few feet in front of him, hearing the class remain absolutely dead silent as they looked as the quiet kid who was doing something weirdly daring.

“What’s that?” He asked, eyes beginning to grow a little wary. No one else would notice that expression but Max, and she was living for it.

She reached out, grabbing Jefferson’s tie as though she was going to kiss him. Instead, she leaned in and whispered, “I love how vulnerable they all look in your pictures.”

His face briefly contorted, moving into even stronger confusion. Despite the fact that she’d whispered, she knew the entire room had heard her. Satisfied that she had silenced him, she let go of his tie and continued her speech as she turned around.

“After you drug them, that is,” she continued, crossing her arms over her chest and glancing at everyone who was looking at her with wide eyes. “Do they know it’s you, Jefferson? When you kidnap and drug those girls, or do you hide behind someone else?” She paused, turning to face him.

She could see the anger in his eyes, buried underneath his fake confusion. He knew, and he knew that she knew. It was satisfying to see him so livid, but it did nothing to scare Max. It did quite the opposite, actually.

“After you drug them and bring them to your little torture chamber, how long do you actually keep them conscious?” She asked, tilting her head. “Or do you keep them drugged the whole time so that they don’t remember your ugly ass face looking down at them? Do you stay in the room when you masturbate to photos of them tied up to a chair, or do you take it somewhere private?” 

She was approaching again, getting as close to his face as her height allowed her to get.

“The only thing scarier than a man who thinks he’s admired is a man who admires himself.” Gathering her strength, she spit at him, watching as the glob of spit hit him in the face. Too stunned to react, he didn’t push her off as she grabbed his shirt, shoving him back on the desk. He stumbled, landing on his ass on the floor as she stepped back.

The adrenaline pumped through her veins as she moved to slowly approach her desk again, her chest heaving. She turned around to face him once more.

“I’m going to stop you, Jefferson. I’m going to stop you from hurting anyone else. And when I do, you’re going to wish you were dead. You’re going to wish I gave you the mercy of being shot in the face.”

She couldn’t help herself as her leg swung around to kick him in the face.

And then, she lifted her right hand, and --

“And what drew you to Blackwell?” Asked Mark, attempting to engage in casual conversation. 

Max smiled and answered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to progress now! The characters we know and love are making their way back. 
> 
> Fair warning here, the timeline of this story will be different than the timeline of the game. I didn't think it made sense to have the events follow in an exact line like they did in the game. Saving Rachel caused a "butterfly effect", so there'll be a lot of surprises in store, and characters are going to act very different than they did before. Hopefully that keeps it fresh and interesting - lord knows we've all read about a million "fix it" fics since the game came out.
> 
> Max's confidence is coming back and she's slowly coming back into her normal self, but she has a long way to go.
> 
> The chapters will be longer from here on out with more content than before, so I hope you guys enjoy this length of chapters.
> 
> (Also, I couldn't resist beating Jefferson up a tiny bit.)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. Speak Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Must've lost your mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a short one, a bit of a set up more than anything and some character introductions. Hope you enjoy!

That experience put some confidence back into Max, and for the rest of the class she was flying high. By the time she left and reunited with Rachel sitting on a table outside, she was grinning.

She’d forgotten what it was like to use her powers like that, to actually act out with the knowledge that her powers could save her. It was freeing, even if she knew how dangerous it was. She had a newfound confidence that she would be able to do this, she might actually be able to save someone. It was clear that her girls were rubbing off on her; she had the confidence of Rachel and the walk of Chloe as she made it through the rest of the school day.

Plopping down at the table, her friends grinned back at her as she settled.

“Did it go well?” Rachel asked with a smirk as she glanced at Chloe, who was stuffing her face with oreos.

“Yep,” Max said, not explaining any further. “So what’s the plan for today?”

“Well, I have to work at eight,” Chloe said grumpily, to which both girls frowned at her. “But before that we can go out for dinner, if you want. Two Whales is always open.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. Are you sure you can’t call off? Just this once?”

As the girls spoke, Chloe looked up just in time to see someone she dreaded to see approaching. She winced as Warren ran up to the table, grinning from ear to ear. While she sat out here with Rachel for the last couple of hours of class, she noticed him on occasion, always wearing a dopey smile. Something about him just rubbed Chloe the wrong way.

“Hey, Max!” He greeted, offering her his hand. “I’m Warren. I saw you in the halls, I like the pins on your backpack! You’re a Mass Effect fan?”

He barely even seemed to notice the other two girls at the table. It would be sweet and innocent if it wasn’t slightly annoying, but Max smiled anyway.

“Nice to meet you, Warren. Yeah, of course. You have good taste in games.”

“Uh, duh,” Warren continued, moving to sit next to Chloe, who scooted over while still frowning. The boy just now seemed to notice the other girls. When he saw it was Rachel Amber sitting there, he blushed, but tried to maintain his Cool Guy Persona. “Hi, I’m Warren.”

Rachel and Chloe introduced themselves, giving each other a look.

“A-Anyway, I was wondering if maybe you wanted to hang out sometime?” Warren asked, still grinning that big dopey smile. “I have the the special R2-D2 edition of the Xbox 360, and it kinda looks better quality if you really look at it --”

“Sorry, squirt,” Rachel started, moving to wrap an arm around Max’s waist. Max felt herself blushing but she resisted it as much as possible. “She’s busy tonight.”

“Oh, okay,” Warren replied with a shrug, still oblivious as ever. “Maybe another night?”

“Sure,” Max agreed, giving him a polite smile. 

“Right on!” Warren replied, still grinning in that way that was making the other girls furious for some reason. “I’ll see you later then.”

As he sauntered off, Rachel found herself squeezing Max a little tighter. The brunette wasn’t at all upset that she was being held by Rachel, but her cheeks were growing redder, and it definitely wasn’t easy to hide.

“Bye, Walter!” Chloe called, earning a confused look from the boy walking away. When she turned back to her friends, she rolled her eyes. “Boys are already falling all over you, Max. What did you get up to on your first day?”

Max shrugged, but she smiled to herself.

\---------

Later that night, the girls were curled up in Chloe’s truck, watching a movie from atop a hill.

It had been Rachel’s idea to sneak into the drive in theatre that was forty minutes away from the Bay, calling the road trip there and the whole experience “romantic”. She’d even finally convinced Chloe to call out of work, using those famous puppy dog eyes on her. Max found it to be the perfect end to a stressful day - the movie played on while they all curled up on the bed of her truck, the speakers playing the audio from the movie, far away from the cars and the employees who would see them secretly watching from outside of the parameters. Thankfully this place was at the bottom of a small hill and thankfully they played movies seven days a week.

Max felt herself start to fall asleep and she tried to shake herself awake from her spot in between Rachel and Chloe. It was quickly becoming her favourite place in the world; comfortable between the two of them. Chloe was the tallest, and being on Max’s right she was usually the one towering over them, keeping them warm. Rachel was about her height and she was always curled up against Max’s side, laying her head on her, holding onto her arm for dear life.

Max couldn’t help but think this whole “chosen one” thing was worth it if this was what she got out of it. 

As she leaned more into Chloe, the brunette let out a small and content sigh that had the other girl smiling down at her. 

There was an unspoken thing between the three of them, an unspoken thing they couldn’t quite shake. What had developed over the summer in Seattle felt like it was burning with the strength of a thousand suns now that they were all reunited again. Under the stars, laying on the bed truck, it felt more obvious than ever. The brunette was almost certain she saw the girls looking at her when they thought she didn’t notice.

But, no one bothered to give voice to the elephant in the room. Instead, Max slowly fell asleep, curled between the two girls she loved, and they followed suit.

\---------

Victoria’s room was exactly how you’d expect it to be.

Proper and pristine, everything had a place, even her laundry was perfectly put together in the corner. The walls were filled with gorgeous and expensive art work probably worth more than the dorms themselves. Her expensive ass computer was triumphed only by a laptop that sat on the same desk, the picture of perfection and privilege. 

Yet, Victoria herself looked a bit of a mess tonight.

Her hair was sprawled out in a ruffled manner, her eyes crazed as she blinked sleep out of them. She had been reading for hours now, focused entirely on her homework - since she had gotten back from school, her focus had been on getting ahead. After all, Mark Jefferson wanted a model student, and she intended to be that.

Here, in her room, in the late hours of the night, she could be herself for no one but her.

Running a hand through her short hair, she checked her phone once more, seeing no response from Nathan. Once her screen was locked once more, she took a sip of her water from her steel water bottle and shut the book, finally turning off the light and making her way over to her bed. 

As she did so, she heard a sound from outside the room.

She couldn’t help it, curiosity got the best of her.

Cautiously, Victoria opened the door to her room, sticking her eye out only slightly. What she saw in the hallway was Kate standing in the middle, her door wide open, her bunny on the ground in front of her. She was holding some kind of leafy green in front of her, telling the bunny to jump up, to which he simply stared, as though he was confused.

Or she? She didn’t know or care to learn.

“Shut the hell up out here,” she hissed through the door before she shut it. Kate’s expression was apologetic as the door shut, and Victoria found herself smirking as she shut the door. As soon as she was back in her safe spot of the room, she let the facade drop, raising it back up as soon as the intrusive thoughts of that was kind of adorable started to pop up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you'll notice, Victoria is a little different than normal in this one. She's a bit more vulnerable, a bit less bitchy. There's a number of reasons for that which will be explained in later chapters. Just keep in mind - it's the butterfly effect.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	9. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For worse or for better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we begin I just wanna give a big shoutout to all my awesome readers who have been giving me incredible feedback and opinions in the comments of every chapter. You guys are THE BEST. Thanks so much for all that you do. I appreciate every bookmark, every kudos, and every comment.
> 
> My energy for this fic is through the roof. I'm currently almost done writing part three, so hopefully we'll have this fic wrapped up within a week or two! I hope you guys don't mind the quick updates. Keep the comments coming, every bit of feedback helps me improve.

She had been at Blackwell for a week now, slowly getting her bearings back and putting her plans into motion. For the most part, the classes had gone by uneventfully. She’d started to sit next to Kate in Jefferson’s class, and had even hung out with Warren during lunch hour a time or two. It felt like things were starting to fall into place, nothing dramatic or over the top had happened yet. Sitting on the quad at a table, Max sketched in her notebook absently as she thought to herself about how best to approach the next part of her plan: Victoria.

She needed to warn Victoria about Nathan, so she could attempt to get through to him. She hadn’t seen much of him since school started and that made her nervous. Checking her phone, she noticed how Rachel had texted her in reassurance, saying she was hanging out with Chloe for the day before her shift and she’d catch her later.

She was sure it was annoying that she constantly demanded her friends tell her that they were okay, but she couldn’t help it. She was worried.

She continued to sketch absently as someone moved to sit across from her. She lifted her head, pleasantly surprised to see Kate.

“Good morning, Max,” Kate said with a brilliant smile as she moved to sit next to her. “How are you?”

“I’m okay, how are you?” She asked her friend as she closed her notebook, smiling back at her. It was so nice to see Kate alive and thriving, nicer than she realized.

“Good. What were you writing?”

“I keep a journal sometimes. Helps me keep my head on straight.”

“That’s nice, I should do that.”

Max nodded in response as she watched Kate throw her bag on the table, pulling out a few textbooks. “How have you been liking photography class?”

“It’s okay,” Max responded, her mouth going dry at the mention of it. “I don’t think I like Jefferson much, he’s a bit pretentious.”

Kate furrowed her eyebrows while Max smirked in response. Clicking her pen closed, she watched her friend carefully for a few moments. The memories of Kate had begun to slip into dreams, bringing back more and more things that she had gone through in a different timeline. They kept her awake at night, but she hadn’t told anyone about them. Before Max could get too far lost in the memories, Kate spoke again, breaking the silence.

“Max, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

Kate seemed to hesitate a lot, which made Max nervous, even if she tried not to show it. The blonde licked her lips before she continued. “I just --” She paused. “Have you noticed anyone talking about me behind my back?”

The brunette shook her head. “No, Kate. You’re a sweetheart, why would anyone talk behind your back?” She frowned, looking the blonde in the eyes. She truly hadn’t heard anything aside from Victoria and her crew, but they usually did it to someone’s face as opposed to behind their backs. That’s what she’d noticed so far, at least.

Seeming relieved, Kate shrugged. “I don’t know. People stare at me. I’m mostly used to it, so I told myself I wouldn’t let it bother me, but sometimes it just hurts a little bit. I suppose it was just morbid curiosity.” She smiled sadly. It was her suspicion that if anyone would know, it would be Max, considering she was buddy-buddy with Rachel Amber, the most popular young girl in town.

Max felt a sense of determination, an all-encompassing need to protect her friend. Without asking for permission, she reached out, taking one of Kate’s hands in both of her own. If the blonde was surprised, she didn’t show it.

“Kate, listen to me,” Max insisted, firm in her tone but hopefully gentle at the same time. “Don’t change for anyone. You deserve all the love and support in the world.”

Kate grinned gratefully. “You’re sweet, Max.”

“Just… take care of yourself, okay?” Suddenly aware of how tight she was gripping Kate’s hand, she slowly let go, lowering the intensity down a bit. “If they talk behind your back, that says a lot more about them than it does about you.”

Max picked at her pen again for a minute before she continued. “When I was in Seattle, I didn’t have any friends. People talked behind my back, too. And then I met Rachel and Chloe.” She shrugged. “Sometimes all you need is one or two really good friends instead of a whole bunch of fake friends. The people who are popular and talk down on people now will suffer later. I’m here for you no matter what, okay?”

“Thanks, Max. You’re a good friend.”

That made Max’s heart fill so much that she thought she might just explode.

\---------

Kate and Max sat at the table for another thirty minutes, sitting and chatting. Max found out things about her that she didn’t know before, and Kate seemed extra curious about everything going on in Max’s life. It was normal, refreshing, and comfortable. As much as she loved Rachel and Chloe, sometimes she preferred to be alone - just by the simple logic that she wanted to be a wallflower sometimes. Rachel seemed to command a room whenever she was in it, all eyes on her, and Chloe was always loud and abrasive. She loved them both to death but as her anxiety for October began to rise, she needed a time or two to herself to simply observe the world.

Once the time rolled around for class, the girls packed their bags and walked up the path towards the front doors. Naturally, in true Blackwell fashion, the day couldn’t go by as peacefully as Max wanted.

“What the _FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!”_

The cry came from a bright-haired boy in a red jacket, screaming at Wells from the front steps of Blackwell. Frozen at the sudden outburst, Kate held onto Max’s arm as they took a step back, pausing before proceeding further.

Nathan was seething for whatever reason, smoke practically coming out of his ears. Next to him stood a disheveled-looking Victoria.

“Mr. Prescott, this is simply protocol, when you miss so many days --”

Wells was cut short as Nathan got up close to him, practically spitting at him as he continued to scream. “Do you even know who my father is?! You don’t get to suspend me or give me detention! I had important work to do --”

“Nathan, _please,”_ came Victoria’s exasperated cry from next to him. As she reached for him, he jolted his arm back, letting out a loud hiss, almost hitting her.

Well, this was new.

Max had sort of figured the timeline would be a bit wonky after she saved Rachel - butterfly effect and all. However, the Nathan of Other Max’s timeline was noticeably different. He had shot Chloe in the bathroom of the school but not until October. It seemed he was unraveling early, for whatever reason.

Since she had warned Chloe about Nathan and Jefferson, herself and Rachel had avoided parties, keeping to themselves for the rest of the year and well into the summer. As a result, Chloe was never a victim of Nathan’s, and the whole situation in the bathroom was never going to happen. Rachel had also never accidentally died. 

In truth, she wasn’t sure she would ever know what she changed. She had no idea what the nature of the friendship was between Victoria and Nathan in this timeline, or what Nathan was currently doing. All that she knew was that he was unstable and still working for Jefferson. An outburst from Nathan was just inevitable due to his mental state, but she hadn’t expected it to happen this early.

Whatever the case, Nathan let out a cry of “fuck this school!” before storming off. Glancing at him as he left, Max held her breath when she noticed they were walking right towards her.

“Get the fuck out of my way,” Nathan challenged, to which neither Kate nor Max immediately moved, a bit too frozen to move straight away. Shaking with rage aimed at anyone who was close, Nathan stepped forward, getting as close to Kate’s face as he had gotten to Wells. “I said get the fuck out of my fucking way, bitch.”

Kate swallowed in fear. Just as Max began to raise her hand to pull Kate aside before Nathan hurt her, she was surprised when someone else stepped in.

“Nathan, stop.”

Victoria was between them in an instant, raising a hand to Nathan’s chest to try and push him away. He seemed to stop under the touch, oddly enough, and glanced at her just long enough to acknowledge she was there.

“Nathan. Leave her alone. _Please.”_

Despite the fact that they were outside and nature gave them the soundtrack of a fall day, there was still enough silence in the air that you could hear a pin drop. 

Victoria’s tone was completely different than any other tone she’d ever taken on. Gone was the determined hard ass, gone was the queen bitch - replaced with a broken young girl trying to make sure her best friend didn’t fall off the deep end. Whatever had happened to Nathan over the summer had made him crumble a thousand times faster.

And Victoria dropping her Head Bitch In Charge persona in front of everyone.... It was scary, as though Max was looking at a dog walking on it’s two hind legs. It felt unnatural.

Nathan glared just a moment longer before turning to walk off, letting Victoria lead him away. As she did so, she glanced back at Kate in an expression that could only be read as apologetic.

\---------

The rest of the day passed with little event beyond that. Victoria and Nathan were both absent from classes, giving Max some room to screw her head on straight. That wasn’t a part of her master plan at all, nor was that a moment that had happened in the other timeline. Because of Nathan’s mental health collapsing, Victoria was starting to change too, right out in public. It was a culture shock for Max.

Jefferson’s class ended without much event, until she tried to head for the door and he stopped her.

“Max, can I speak with you for a minute?”

Despite the bad feeling she had, she nodded and stood in the middle of the room as the rest filtered out. Kate looked worried at Max’s expression, but she said nothing else and left with the others.

“Yes, Mr. Jefferson?”

Mark smiled. It only made Max feel more sick to her stomach. If she had to fight him off and turn back time, she’d do it again. Her right hand ached for some action.

“I understand you’re friends with Rachel Amber.”

Not liking where this was going, Max crossed her arms over her chest and nodded hesitantly, hoping her expression didn’t change too much. “Yeah. She doesn’t go here anymore.” It was a simple reminder, making sure Mark knew she wasn’t to be touched. She wasn’t about to give him anything else, though.

He pushed on. “She was a star pupil in my class and I’ve seen her out and about with you. I can see some of her influence in your work and your personality. You’re a wonderful photographer, Max. Something about your work is just so --” He paused, as though searching for the words. “-- new, raw. It’s a rarity.” Another pause and he examined her expression. “I also noticed how you’ve been connecting with Kate. You seem to be good at making friends. I can certainly see you becoming another Rachel Amber.”

_I can certainly see you becoming another Rachel Amber._ The words were meant to be somewhat complimentary, but it made Max nearly throw up on the spot. He had no idea the implications behind that statement, had no idea what it truly meant. Or maybe he did, somehow, and he was taunting her. The whole conversation felt off - like Mark was trying to get a read on her, trying to figure out what kind of a person she was. He was complimenting her work while mentioning Rachel one too many times. It felt like a veiled threat. She knew that Rachel was like a prize to him.

Maintaining her neutral expression, she fought off the angry tears threatening to break through the surface.

“Thank you, sir. Is there anything else?”

Mark looked surprised by the abrupt end in conversation before he shook his head. “No, nothing else. You are planning to submit to the Everyday Heroes contest, correct?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was a bit more of a short but intense chapter. Now you guys are finally getting a taste of how characters/experiences are different than they are in the timeline that we once knew. I've made Victoria a bit more soft and vulnerable for multiple reasons which will be made more clear later on in the work. 
> 
> What else will change? Stay tuned to see. 
> 
> I'm not the biggest fan of the way I wrote the last scene with Jefferson, but I wanted to plant the seed that Jefferson is still thinking about Rachel and is STARTING to think about Max in the same way. He highly regrets not capturing Rachel but he's starting to get intrigued by Max. In true Jefferson fashion, he's creepy as hell and determined to a young girl in his dark room regardless of who it is in the end. Barf.
> 
> Thanks for reading once again!


	10. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stand there like a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello it's me again! Thanks for your patience. Sorry this took a few days - I've been sick so I've been mostly sleeping it off. Chapters will likely become a little more spaced out until I feel better. This one is a bit longer, so enjoy!

The end of the world party was on October 10th, 2013.

As Max noted on her notepad this morning, the date was September 13th, 2013.

She hadn’t expected to see this poster that she saw up on the board, but it was there, clear as day. This was not an “end of the world” party, but rather, a beach party, which made Max wince. She suspected that this hadn’t been in the other timeline, either, for Other Max did not appear in any memories. Unless she just hadn’t gone.

Why did random little things change so much? She had expected everything to be the exact same, but random things kept popping up. First Nathan’s outburst, then Victoria’s moods, and now the parties were changing. What else did the butterfly effect have an impact on? Was this her own doing?

Standing next to her, looking at the same poster, Chloe sighed.

She was standing a foot or so away from Max, close enough for Max to smell the cigarettes on her but not as close as Rachel would’ve gotten. Still, it was enough to make Max’s heart skip several beats as she turned to face the brunette.

“So this isn’t the party?”

Max shook her head, swallowing her nervousness as she looked back at the poster. “No, this is too early for it. Maybe they had another party planned. I dunno. Maybe this was always a part of the timeline. Or not.”

“But as far as we know no one we know gets hurt here.”

This time, Max nodded. “Kate’s incident is later on, this one is… it’s unmarked territory.”

“Alright then,” Chloe commented with a smile. “We’re going.”

If the shock didn’t show on Max’s face, it definitely showed in her tone. “Chloe, are you insane?! What if Nathan’s there?”

“We’ll have each other’s backs, Max. The three of us. Plus, we need to keep an eye on everyone. We’re the only three people who know the truth, which means we’re the strongest ones out there, we can make sure no one gets hurt. You’ve got your powers still! We’re an unstoppable time-jumping flag-waving pirate team!”

Max raised her right hand, as though it was cursed.

“I dunno, Chloe…”

“I promise not to get drunk. Or get high. Nothing to compromise the situation. I’ll even be the designated driver.”

She finally looked up, noticing Chloe’s begging expression. Finally, she sighed. “Fine, but please stick by me the whole night, no matter what.”

Chloe grinned, leaning down to press a kiss on Max’s cheek. She was taking a note right out of Rachel’s book, which was only confirmed when she smirked after.

“Rachel was right, you do blush easily.”

“Shut up,” she mumbled, feeling a mix of embarrassment and… something else.

\---------

Around eight o’clock the night that the party rolled around, Max stood in her dorm room. The bag on her body held her camera, which she was preparing for her “manual saves”, along with her phone, some waters, and a first aid kit, just in case. She wasn’t sure what she needed all this crap for but better safe than sorry.

She knew that the girls were waiting for her outside, but she couldn’t find the strength to walk to the door and exit the dorm room. Instead, she continued to stand in the middle, silently begging herself to work up the strength to go.

Before she had the chance to, there was a polite knock at the door followed by someone barging right in.

“Let’s get our party on!” Chloe called out as she entered the dorm, grinning from ear to ear. As soon as she saw Max’s expression, her grin wavered, frowning instead. “You okay, Maxipad?"

The brunette debated faking that she wasn’t, but instead, she just shook her head. Words, however, didn’t come easily, and she faltered.

“She’s nervous, Chloe,” said the third girl as she closed the door and approached her friend. Rachel wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into a quick hug before freeing her. “We’ll be with you the whole time, Max. We promise.”

“Yeah. Nothing bad happens at this party anyway. Right?” Chloe questioned, her tone much calmer and much more apologetic.

“I dunno, remember, Chloe?.” Finally speaking, the brunette licked her lips and sighed. "I didn't get any... memories about it overnight or anything.

“Well, we got your back, Max.” Rachel grinned. “We’ll even let you hold our hands, both of us. Right, Chloe?”

As the brunette looked at Chloe’s grin, she tried to pretend that that didn’t make her feel butterflies.

When the truck finally pulled into the parking lot near the beach, Max found that she had calmed considerably. The ride along with her best friends both laughing and joking around had certainly helped. However, if she was honest, it was both of their hands in her own which really did it.

She got to sit in the middle this time.

As they piled out slowly, Rachel held tightly onto Max’s hand while Chloe let go for a moment to shut the car off and get out. The three of them watched the scene in front of them: a bonfire in the middle of the sand had a bunch of beer bottles and rowdy teenagers around it, the rest of the beach and the surrounding forest area had scattered teenagers every few feet.

Unlike the one party she had been to, there was no “vortex club” area. Max held on tighter to Rachel’s hand as she reached the awareness that Nathan might be literally anywhere, her nervousness growing as they approached the party.

“Max! You made it out!” Cried Warren as he approached them, awkwardly trying to hug Max while she still had her hand in Rachel’s. 

Max would be lying if she said the expressions on her girls’ faces didn’t make her heart flutter a little bit more.

Obviously tipsy, Warren stumbled back with a growing grin. “I didn’t think I’d see you here! Wow, everyone came out tonight! Must be a start of school thing. Hey, Chloe. I like your hair.”

“I like your nothing.”

“You’re funny.”

Max winced, wondering what “everyone” meant. As she got lost in her own thought, some cheerleaders approached them, making him a little wary as he stepped aside and eventually away from the group.

“Hey, Rachel,” greeted Dana, eyeing the hand that still held Max’s. “No luck getting out of Arcadia Bay after grad, huh?”

Rachel just shrugged. “I’ll get there eventually. How’s it going?”

As they engaged in what sounded like perfectly casual conversation, Max continued to look around. Dana and the others started to walk towards the belly of the party, allowing the three girls to follow. Max’s nervousness increased, lessened only when she felt Chloe grab her other hand. Glancing back at her, she was momentarily swayed by the concerned and caring expression on Chloe’s face.

Try as she might to appear tough, Max knew that her best friend was a softie inside, and she showed it with every action.

Squeezing Max’s hand, she trailed behind the group as Rachel took the lead, still chatting it up with the other girls. Max tried to ignore them, not wanting to dig up old memories by accident.

Eventually, they reached the middle of the party where most of the action was. Dana and the cheerleaders left, leaving the three girls alone. Rachel let go of Max’s hand as she walked over to the mutual drinks counter, grabbing a few beers for her and her girls.

Chloe moved to sit on a log near the fire, pulling Max towards her. She felt the smaller girl still trembling from a mixture of fear and the cold, so she pulled Max into her lap, making Max's stomach flip. She wasn't sure what had Chloe acting like this, but she wasn't going to complain.

“Thanks,” she said to Rachel, taking the beer. Rachel sat on the ground next to them, taking a sip of her own. Max kept hers at a distance.

“Not a bad party,” the blonde said after a few moments, looking up at the two of them. She smiled softly. The sight of Max being so comfortable with them made her heart swell, even if she wouldn't admit it out loud.

As it stood, neither of the two older girls really knew where Max stood in terms of potential crushes on them. Max wasn’t sure where she stood, either -- all she knew was that she felt safe and warm in the arms of them both. It was somehow more confusing than this time travel bullshit, which was saying a lot.

Leaning against Chloe, she laid her head on the bluenette’s chest, comforted by the sound of her heartbeat. A conversation began between the girl she was sitting on and the girl on the floor, but she was only half listening. Finally taking a sip of her beer, she made herself as comfortable as possible. 

Despite the environment, despite the looks they occasionally got, Max was starting to calm down and feel comfortable here. The beach was beautiful, the water reflecting the stars brightly, making it shimmer. The stars were all out, not at all polluted by the light of the town. Chloe was warm and comfortable, her chest rising and falling with every breath, her ribcage shaking with every laugh. Max let her eyes close, enjoying the moment for all that it was. 

She felt a chin on the top of her head and opened her eyes, shifting back a little to look up at Chloe. The bluenette was smiling at her, nothing but love and adoration in her eyes, making Max’s breath catch in her throat. She could taste the beer on Chloe’s breath, and it was making her very aware of her own.

“Doing okay?” Chloe asked, using her free hand to brush hair out of Max’s face. The brunette let her eyes close, nodding slowly. “Okay, good.”

As she laid her head back on Chloe’s chest, she noticed that Rachel was no longer sitting there. “Where’s Rach?” 

“She went to get another drink,” Chloe commented with a small shrug. “None more for me, unfortunately. She assumed you didn’t want one.”

Nervous at how Rachel was no longer with them, Max bit her lip back and didn’t answer. Chloe must have noticed, for she wrapped a lazy arm around Max’s waist.

The comfort and joy she felt didn’t last very long. She heard the shouting before she saw it, Rachel walking into earshot, sounding like she was fuming.

“Fuck off, Victoria. This is a public fucking beach!” The blonde argued, glaring in her direction. Meanwhile, the pixie-cut blonde glared back at her, a few feet away.

“This is still run by the vortex club, and you’re not in it!”

“Half of these people aren’t.”

“Don’t care. Get you and your orgy out of here and stop drinking my beer.”

Rachel’s glare only grew. If looks could kill.

Storming back to them, Rachel grabbed her empty beer bottle and chucked it. Chloe was right when she’d described Rachel a few months ago: when she was angry, she was angry, but hell if she wasn’t still beautiful.

“Come on, guys,” she told the two of them, who quickly moved to stand up. Chloe was grabbed by the arm, while Max and her bag trailed behind, quick to make their exit.

An hour or so later, they found themselves on the other side of the parking lot, sitting in a small clearing, their car in view from the distance. They sat in a circle, finishing off the last of their beers, engaging in casual conversation. They had debated going back to the junkyard, but after Rachel’s anger subsided, they decided that they had to stick to their plan of making sure that Nathan didn’t act out.

Their plan proved to work, for there was commotion a few moments after their conversation died naturally.

Rachel was the first to notice it, head snapping up. The voice was familiar but loud, and it sounded like it was only from a few feet away, at the edge of the parking lot.

“Oh my god, oh my god, can you hear me?!”

The three of them exchanged glances before moving to stand up, Rachel leading the way. She saw the situation first as well, and ran ahead when her eyes realized what she was looking at.

At the end of the parking lot, near the very back of the party, among the beer bottles, Kate laid on the ground, a panicked Victoria shaking her shoulders. People looked on, one or two guys crouched near her, looking concerned.

“Kate?! Fuck, Kate, wake up,” she urged, shaking her again. Kate began to stir, looking up at her with a dopey grin.

“Victoria!” She greeted, her voice sounding slow and forced. No one even dared try making fun of Victoria for the name, and Rachel fell to her knees next to them.

“What happened?” She asked quickly, glancing at Victoria. To her surprise, the pixie-cut blonde was miles different than she’d seen her a few hours ago -- she looked freaked out, her hair disheveled, her eyes wide with worry.

“Kate, honey, can you stand?” Rachel decided to address Kate, instead, to which the blonde sort of nodded, her head lulling a bit too much.

“Fuck,” Victoria swore, leaning back as she moved to stand. Chloe crouched down, holding Kate by the other side as both her and Rachel began to try and lift her.

Max thought she was going to throw up, pass out, or both at the same time.

Meanwhile, Victoria had something else on her mind. Now that she was upright, she turned on the two guys who had been crouching near her. If they were afraid of her before this, they were terrified now, one guy scrambling to his feet as Victoria approached him with a fire in her eyes Max had only seen a few times before.

Despite being shorter, she grabbed the boy by his shirt as aggressively as possible, leaving marks on his chest with her nails. “What the FUCK is wrong with you! She was obviously fucking drugged! Are you out of your fucking mind?!”

He tried to scramble to answer, but she was already pushing him back with enough strength to knock him to his feet. The second guy ran off before Victoria could get her hands on him, but she was already turning back to the girls.

Kate was upright now, barely awake and leaning on the girls who were holding her up. Victoria made her way closer, putting a hand on Kate to hold her up. “This way,” she ushered them, nodding at the parking lot in front of them. “No way I’m putting her in your fucking trash heap of a car.”

Chloe grunted a response, but obeyed, leading Kate away. Max stayed behind, looking at the scene around her. As she did so, she noticed someone she didn’t recognize standing there, still holding out a phone and recording.

Without hesitation, the brunette approached them and grabbed the phone. As it was still unlocked, she opened the photos app, deleted the video, and threw the phone on the ground before walking up.

They made their way to the car before long, hoisting Kate into the back seat as Victoria started the car up. Max wanted to say something, anything, but her words failed her. This was already going way off plan, nothing like she expected.

“Who drugged her?” Chloe asked as they shut the door.

The girls expected a glare from Victoria at the question. Instead, she looked at them, and her mask failed, showing her true feelings for a brief moment before she shifted back into neutral. As she stared at them in fear and sorrow, the girls suspected that she knew the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The timeline is slipping....
> 
> Until next time!


	11. What Remains?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't want you to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap… never in my dreams did I imagine I’d get thousand hits and almost a hundred kudos on a fic so quickly! It’s nice to see the LIS fandom is still thriving. Thank you for all your feedback, your nice comments, and your bookmarks, I see it all and I appreciate it all, you have no idea! 
> 
> I’ve been thinking a lot about characterization as I go on and continue to write this and I’ve realized there’s things I changed about characters simply because I wanted them to be different from what we’re used to. For example, I love Rachel to death, but in the game she’s incredibly flakey, and I wanted her to be a lot more willing to commit to someone and a lot more reliable. Victoria didn’t get too much screen time in the game but I always wanted her to be a bit more willing to be vulnerable than she was in canon, especially around stubborn Max, who refuses to back down on this friendship thing. 
> 
> You can blame it on butterfly effect, which is what this story is about, or you can blame it on me if you’d like, but please be advised as you read in personalities are going to continue to be a bit adjusted to this new standard. I’m not a big fan of “cheating” drama, so that won’t happen with Rachel. I intend to give Victoria some happiness as well. This fic, although a drama fic present with dark themes, is very much intending to end as a fluffy fix-it fic in the end. Who doesn’t like fluff? We don’t get enough of that these days.
> 
> As I’ve said before, there will be explanations for the butterfly effect and how it changed their stories and personalities as time goes on - but if you have any criticisms about how Victoria or Rachel are “too nice”, please keep in mind that’s intentional. At their core they’ll remain as true to the characters as I, as a fanfic writer, can possibly make them.
> 
> Enough of my nonsensical rambling -- please enjoy this chapter. Speaking of fluff...

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

As Victoria sat in the waiting room of the hospital, she found that, for once, words were lost on her.

She had a bad feeling ever since the school year started. Try as she might to keep Nathan in check, he was spinning out of control and she knew it. Max’s words rang in her head day after day, telling her to “watch her own”, ever since the first day. She had wanted to rage out at her but found the effort to be fruitless considering she’d echoed her exact thoughts out loud.

Now, here she sat, in the waiting room of Arcadia Bay’s tiny little hospital, while Kate Marsh, the kind and quiet Christian girl, tried to fight off drugs she had seen Nathan put in her drink.

Since his fuck up with the school, Nathan was slipping out of control. Jefferson no longer had a hold on his targets and had insisted the boy hunt down Kate Marsh next, but, thrown off his game, he hadn’t bothered to make sure they were completely alone when he’d drugged her, not noticing his friend had been watching.

She could excuse a lot of shit for Nathan, but that was crossing the line.

Kate coming to the party had been a joke at first. As soon as she’d shown up, Victoria’s plan was to make her life a living hell. It had absolutely worked; she was miserable the whole time, while everyone made fun of her for refusing to have a drink or acting like a Good Christian Girl the whole time. It was fun for Victoria, for once. She hated Kate before this, as much as she could hate someone she didn’t know -- fucking goody two shoes, running around preaching about Jesus, like anyone gave a fuck.

Until she saw what Nathan did, and saw Kate stalk off to make out with strangers.

She couldn’t have let it happen and still feel good about herself. Her gut feeling about Nathan was simply making her more and more aware of every shitty thing he did. As much as she didn’t like Kate, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to look in the mirror if she had left her alone. Victoria knew how handsy boys got when they were drunk.

With her hands clasped together, Victoria watched the floor in front of her as she tried to plan her next moves. It didn’t feel right to run off and leave Kate on her own, but she also hated being here more than anything.

Standing up, she made her way to the nearby gift shop, which was more of a tiny place to buy snacks as you waited than anything else. Still, she was able to find a stuffed bear and a balloon, and she rang up her American Express quickly, not wanting to be seen by anyone. Once she was back in the waiting room, she wrote a quick note and made her way down the hall towards the room.

Kate was sound asleep, still working off the drugs. Victoria found herself staring for a moment before she worked up the strength to walk further into the room, gently setting down the gifts on the bedside table before she turned on her heel and ran off.

\--------

With the danger of David looming over their heads, the girls decided the smartest thing to do was to move their operations to the junkyard.

Max stood in front of the corkboard while her girls sat on the futon, watching her as she spoke. Pointing at Kate, she began to scratch off certain things before she proceeded. “So Victoria saving Kate was… unpredictable. But this is good, this means that Kate might not try to kill herself, and maybe…”

She paused, furrowing her eyebrows, frowning to herself. The girls exchanged looks, wondering if she was zoning out again, but then she pushed on. “Victoria might get through to Nathan, I dunno. Or might report Nathan or something. Either way, this is good, I think.”

“We already foiled Jefferson’s plans by saving me,” Rachel said, taking a sip of her drink before she continued. “Maybe they’re losing control of the situation, which is why they’re doing stupid shit like drugging Kate in front of everyone, or messing with Vicky.”

Max nodded, looking thoughtful. She sat down on the chair near the corkboard, trying to figure out her next words, while the others waited patiently.

“Kate being drugged was what led our investigation in the other timeline, it’s how we tried to take Nathan down. I don’t think we need to use that anymore, considering Victoria saw him, but we should still steal Frank’s stuff as proof somehow. Maybe.” She paused, scratching the back of her head. “Fuck, I’m starting to lose track of how to fix things.”

Rachel stood up, crossing over to her and examining the board. “The only person who can get through to Nathan is Victoria, and she saw the whole thing happen. If she does that would lead to finding out about Jefferson. But there’s a chance she might not even tell anyone.”

“So should we talk to Victoria first?”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

Chloe groaned, rolling her head dramatically. “Can we do literally anything other than talk to her?”

Max shook her head in response, pulling out her camera from her bag. “She’s our best bet.”

“I can’t stand her ass.”

“I know.” Max paused, holding the camera up and snapping a save point photo of the two girls looking disgruntled. Even in the shitty lighting of the building and the terrible angle she was on, they looked as beautiful as ever. She fought off a smile as she pocketed the picture, continuing. “But she’s not as bad as you think, you know. She’s just as insecure as any of us, she just has a hard time showing it.”

“Bullshit.”

“It’s true, I’ve seen it.”

Chloe scoffed, but didn’t argue it further. It gave Max a chance to continue.

“After Kate…” She faltered, not wanting to finish the sentence. “... I found Victoria in her room, crying her eyes out. She felt so guilty, and I felt really bad. I wanted to rewind and take it all back, but my powers had failed on the roof, and I knew it was pointless.”

Sighing, Max let her camera drop back into her bag and turned back to the board. Other Max’s memories were merging with hers even more lately, and she felt the guilt as real as if it was her own. The rest of the room remained silent, not wanting to remind Max of what she’d lost in a different timeline. They knew how much it weighed her down, how much she fought with herself. “Whatever, we know what we have to do now.”

“Why don’t we take a break?” Rachel suggested, offering a gentle smile to both of the girls, trying to ease the tension in the room. “We can go back to your dorm, Max, watch a movie or something. We really need to get you a TV.”

Max shrugged, but took the offer, and half an hour later they were parked outside of the dorms. Max led them towards the doors, avoiding David walking around with a flashlight, even though Chloe had insisted that she could hit him just once and Max’s powers could save them from getting in trouble. Sneaking their way to Max’s room, they walked past Kate’s empty room and Victoria’s. As she began to unlock her door, she heard a loud noise from inside of Victoria’s room, and froze.

Chloe stood in front of her girls protectively, acting on instinct, watching as Nathan made his way out of Victoria’s room, looking angry and disheveled.

“Nathan, listen to me!” Victoria demanded, following him out of the room, not noticing the other girls in the hall. “I’m not telling you to tell anyone, I just want you to explain to _me_ what’s going on!”

“I can’t, Victoria.” Nathan turned on his heel, facing her. His expression changed, the anger fading and replaced by something else. “Please, just trust me.”

With that, he quickly left, leaving her standing in her doorway, looking like she was battling with a thousand emotions at once. As she met eyes with the girls, she stormed back inside of her room.

Don’t do it, Max. _Don’t do it._

The photographer glanced back at her girls. Chloe shook her head but Rachel nodded, and that was all that she needed. She let go of her door, dropping the keys in Chloe’s hands, and walked over to Victoria’s, making her way inside and leaving the others in the hall.

“Go the fuck away,” Victoria demanded, her tone a little less firm than normal. She sounded too exhausted to fight but shot Max a deadly look. “You can’t just walk into my room!”

Max stood in the middle of the room and looked at the pixie-cut blonde. “Are you okay?”

The question seemed to deflate Victoria of whatever fight she had, and she just shook her head, muttering a; “Whatever.” She sat on the chair on her desk, slumping over. Max gently closed the door so no one else could see them and then went back to her position of standing awkwardly.

Victoria looked like she was about to rip her hair out, but she kept silent as she sat there, hand tugging on her hair and eyes downcast. Max was cautious when she stepped closer, but did so anyway.

“Look.. I know it’s not my place, but… I used to have a friend like him. A little tortured, made some bad decisions. I know it doesn’t seem like it, but I’m sure he really appreciates you trying to help him.” She crossed her arms over her chest, pushing on when Victoria didn’t answer. “Victoria, I think he might be caught up in some bad shit. I’m worried about him, and I know you care about him.”

Victoria remained deadly silent, letting it stretch into the air for a bit too long. When she turned to face the other girl, Max was surprised to see her eyes were red and puffy, and for once, Victoria looked vulnerable. She was suddenly glad she closed the door.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to help him,” she said, finally sighing. “Nobody cares about him but me.” 

Her voice was so quiet that Max barely heard it, but she pushed on, desperate to get through to her. “That’s not true. What about his family?”

“They throw money at him and ignore him.” She threw her arms in the air, moving to stand up and pace around the room, nearly knocking Max over as she did so.

“I’m sure there’s someone.”

“Why do you care anyway?” She snipped, her voice devoid of any real anger.

Max swallowed, debating whether or not to continue, but she finally decided might as well take the risk. “Kate’s my friend. I don’t want anyone else hurt. Not her, not you, not even Nathan. He needs help.”

Wondering if she’d crossed the line, Max froze in the spot as Victoria stared at her. Finally, her shoulders sagged once more, and the look of defeat on her face was so strong that Max found herself feeling the urge to hug her, which was weird in itself.

“I guess I can talk to his sister.”

Trying not to let the relief show on her face, Max nodded. “Right. That’s an idea. You can start there and see what happens.” After an awkward pause, she took a step back. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then.”

“Sure,” Victoria responded, ushering her out. As Max opened the door, she was surprised to feel a hand on her arm, and she looked at Victoria, who looked like she was just as surprised. “Max?”

“Yeah, Victoria?”

“Thanks.”

Knowing that Victoria would deny this tomorrow, she offered the other girl a small smile regardless and nodded before heading out the door.

\--------

Max woke up the next morning still tangled in a mess of limbs and hair.

Blinking herself awake, she slowly turned her head, taking in her surroundings. Chloe was draped over her, the bluenette’s head laying on the top of her head, while Rachel laid next to them, properly and quietly curled up against Max’s side. Why neither of them moved to the couch was a question she couldn’t answer; she had been the first to fall asleep after the second movie, and didn’t remember anything after that.

She was tempted to move but decided better of it, instead just shifting to get more comfortable between them. As she did so, Chloe squeezed her a little tighter and she realized the other girl was still awake. Lifting her head, she met Chloe’s eyes, smiling at her. 

Chloe was so radiant in the morning light it took Max’s breath away. She remembered all the sleepovers and all the times she’d woken up before her, watching her blonde hair reflect the sunlight, feeling butterflies in her tummy. Her blue hair somehow reflected it better and Max felt those familiar butterflies come back -- dammit Max, you are uselessly gay. She swallowed, resisting the urge to look behind her and glance at Rachel, who likely looked just as stunning as Chloe did in the morning light.

She realized then that this position was not the best one for her to be in at all unless she wanted to become a blushing mess.

Propping herself up on her elbow, Chloe looked down at her with a responding smile, oblivious to the torment in Max’s head. “I think we’re making a habit of this cuddling thing,” she commented.

Max shrugged, feeling that goddamn cursed blush in her cheeks. “I’m not complaining, are you?”

“I mean, you no longer try to push me off in your sleep so I guess it’s fine.”

This time the brunette snorted, shifting her weight once more to snuggle up to Chloe’s chest so she wasn’t looking her in the eyes. She should get up but she’d be damned if she didn’t want to give in to selfishness just this once. She didn’t even want to bother with thinking about the implications behind what they were doing, she just wanted to enjoy it. She could remember about a million memories with Other Max and Other Chloe and she was happy to confirm that she still felt like home after all these years.

Soothed into relaxation Chloe’s heartbeat, she closed her eyes, not daring to move even when she felt Chloe’s free hand raise from being wrapped around her to instead thread through her brunette hair. The sensation felt familiar and new at the same time, and she felt a shiver run through her body as she nuzzled closer, not daring to look up in case she was still red in the face. 

(She was, of course.)

“I’m worried about you,” Chloe mumbled from above her, making Max finally lift her head to look at her. The brunette examined Chloe’s throat and chin from the angle she was at, resisting the urge to lean up and kiss it. Dammit Max, get it together.

“Why?” She questioned, waiting for the other to look down at her and meet her eyes, which she eventually did.

“Other Max had a lot of shitty memories, dude. I don’t know what else you’re gonna see. And you always black out when it happens. The closer we get to October the more freaked I am. I’m starting to think I should just have a bodyguard around you at all times just in case.”

Max snorted, laying her head back. “I’m getting less worried about that, honestly. I think I’ve seen most of her shitty memories so far.” (She was wrong, but it’s not like she knew that.) “She has a lot of good ones I see sometimes, so that’s been nice.

“Like what?” Chloe questioned, head tilting slightly.

It was now that she had moved up enough to give Chloe the chance to see the blush in her cheeks. She tried to fight it off, but Chloe’s sudden question only made it ten times worse. Clearing her throat, she just shrugged a little bit, careful not to disturb or wake up Rachel behind her. She had walked right into this. “Nothing.”

“Fuck no, you don’t get out of this conversation that easily,” Chloe challenged, leaning in a little with a smirk. “You said they were good memories. Is my hot ass in them?”

Max swallowed nervously, but slowly nodded. “You’re in almost all of them.”

“Like from that week? Before?”

“Both. And A-After.” 

Stop answering, Max, you’re getting yourself into trouble here.

“What happened in them?”

Max debated it for a minute. She hadn’t exactly explained to Chloe the nature of their relationship in the other timeline, she had expected (or hoped) that it would progress naturally. Somehow, presumably from Rachel’s influence, they had been pushed together even closer in a shorter amount of time in this new timeline.

Still, from this angle, Max’s breath caught in her throat. She’d had a crush on her childhood best friend ever since she was a pre-teen, but over the years her friend had simply gotten more beautiful, she’d really grown into her own. Teenage fantasies of running her hand through golden hair had changed to blue, of running her fingertips over bare skin had changed to tracing Chloe’s tattoos.

Realizing how silent she’d been in the past few moments, Max slowly drifted back to reality, seeing Chloe’s confused face above her. If she tried to explain now, she was sure the words would fail, tripping over her tongue like they were knocked off balance. Instead, she let the memory of a morning in Chloe’s bedroom dance through her brain as she decided to just fucking do it Max you coward.

The kiss was chaste and quick, too quick for Chloe to respond aside from a shocked expression, much like she had that morning. As soon as she did it, Max began to pull herself off the bed so she could get ready for the day, not wanting to see the aftermath of the kiss.

If she had stayed, she would have noticed how Rachel, who had been awake the entire time, smirked at a confused Chloe for a solid minute before pushing her by the shoulder, giggling out a whispered “I told you so”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m nearly done writing the bulk of the fic so I’ll be editing it and posting a new chapter every couple of days as time goes on. I’m working on a novel on the side so my uploading schedule might continue to be every couple of days. I edit and rewrite parts as I get more feedback, so once again, your comments always help!
> 
> Things are starting to pick up for our girls, and don’t worry shippers -- you’ll get what you want soon. ;)


	12. I Believe You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That's how it works.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning my friends! Thank you so much for the feedback so far! The story is starting to pick up so hold onto your hats. 
> 
> This is the last shorter chapter. From here on out, the chapters are longer and the story more intense. Prepare yourselves for some feels. 
> 
> Hope this tides you over! Until next time!

Jefferson’s class was as usual; it was nearing the end of the month now, and Max could feel the tension in her shoulders whenever she sat in the back of the class.

Since the incident at the party, Kate had been incredibly quiet. Unlike in the other timeline, no one bullied her for the kisses or for being drugged - Victoria was still visibly livid with the whole situation, and nobody was gonna undermine her. She didn’t make a point to talk to Kate or sit with her, but it was progress, sorta.

Max sat on the other side of the class, dead silent as she watched Jefferson drone on and on. She had taken to sitting next to Kate, occasionally writing her a note and sliding it over, happy to see when Kate smiled a tiny bit in response to a joke she’d made.

She yawned as she adjusted herself in her chair, her mind wandering back to the night before. It had been a couple of days since she’d kissed Chloe suddenly while curled up on their bed, and although things had been a little awkward between them as they both always chickened out of saying anything about it, their plans to fix this timeline were slowly forming.

She knew that she would inevitably have to run into David sometime soon. He was a key part to this whole thing, and she suspected he would be the one to eventually bust Jefferson. Still, Max found herself increasingly nervous. It didn’t help when he, as if on cue, walked right in during the lesson and gestured for Kate and Victoria to accompany him to the headmaster’s office.

Left alone, Max let the rest of the class drone on until she was finally freed. Grabbing her bags, she quickly ran past the rest of the class and Jefferson, eventually finding herself right outside the doors, nearly running into Rachel.

It was so easy to be caught in Rachel’s wake. She was like a tidal wave, hitting you all at once, knocking the breath out of you. Max wasn’t a fool -- she knew what it meant when your breath was caught when you looked in someone’s eyes. For a moment, she was distracted by Rachel’s smile and her hair, and she forgot what she was doing.

“Whoa there,” the blonde said in amusement, grabbing Max’s shoulders to steady her. “You okay?”

Max snapped out of it. “Yeah. Did you see Kate and Victoria walk by?”

Rachel nodded somberly. “Wells called them, I don’t know what’s going on in there. Do you think she’s going to tell him what happened?”

Max shrugged, feeling a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew the aftermath of telling Wells about Nathan, she had mistakenly done so in one timeline. It never led to anything except angering Nathan. She didn’t think Victoria would sell him out to Wells, but the thought made her increasingly nervous. Rachel took the hint and held onto her arm and led her down the hall, heading for the main office.

As they walked into the office, David was no longer there, but rather, a secretary who raised her eyebrows at them. Rachel sat down on the chair, eyeing Max, knowing she had a plan. 

She sure did.

Reaching into her pocket, she called Rachel, waiting for the blonde to answer her phone. Plugging her earbuds into Rachel’s phone, snatched it from her, she gestured for Rachel to stay sitting as she strolled into the office without a second thought.

“Don’t mind me,” Max mumbled as she walked into the middle of the room, much to the confusion of everyone in there. Heading for the nearest cabinet, she put her own phone on speaker, muttering a: “testing?” into it.

Satisfied, the brunette dropped her phone in the cabinet, leaving it open enough for them to hear, before walking back towards the door.

“Ms. Caulfield, what in the _WORLD --”_

As they walked into the office, David was no longer there, but rather, a secretary who raised her eyebrows at them. Rachel sat down on the chair, eyeing Max, knowing she had a plan. It was then that she noticed Max was holding her phone in her free hand. “Max, what --”

Max waved her off, moving to sit next to her, handing her one of the earbuds. The phone call kept going, even if Rachel was hella confused - it was one of the things she’d tested for herself while messing around with her power over the summer. She put the earbud in her ear and waited for Rachel to do the same so they could listen.

“Ms. Marsh, we will make this simple for you,” Wells began, sounding gruff. “I understand the police spoke with you the other night when you went to the hospital, correct?”

“Yeah,” came Kate’s quiet and scared voice, which brought a rage to Max’s chest but she bit it down.

“Here at Blackwell, we intend to keep our students safe as much as possible. I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that are going around. I want you to understand, Ms. Marsh, that if someone hurt you, especially one of our students, I would want to know.”

“I don’t think Ms. Marsh has any kind of obligation to speak here, especially not when there’s an ongoing investigation. Plus, she’s still a minor, which means she doesn’t have to answer your questions if she doesn’t want to.”

Rachel snorted. When Wells had brought in Victoria to be a second witness, he hadn’t expected her to go all lawyer on him. Kate smiled gratefully, and although the girls couldn’t hear it over the phone, they could see it in their heads.

“Of course, Ms. Chase. I’m not asking her to speak on the investigation. Do you know anything about this, Victoria?”

“If I did I wouldn’t tell you.”

It was surprising to hear Victoria standing up to Wells - especially in regards to Kate. She would normally bend over backwards to impress that man. Surprising, but not unwelcome. The girls listened closer.

Wells seemed uncomfortable. “I simply want to make sure you two feel safe here, and like you can come to me with anything.”

“Well, we don’t. Is there anything else?”

“Ms. Chase --”

“Wells, if we’re not in trouble you have no rhyme or reason to keep us here. Either of us.”

The silence that filled the room was so long that the girls thought the call may have dropped. Finally, Wells scoffed. 

“Very well, ladies,” he said, gesturing for the door. 

Gratefully, Victoria stood up, leading Kate to the exit. They didn’t even notice Rachel and Max sitting there as they walked right past her.

\--------

“So what does that mean?” Chloe asked as she stuffed her face with a cupcake.

Max resisted the urge to laugh at her and just shrugged. “Victoria doesn’t trust Wells, I guess. I mean, she knows better than anyone what the Prescotts have under their belt and the power they have. I guess she thinks if she tells Wells about Nathan he won’t do anything about it aside from brushing them off.”

“Either that or she’s protecting Kate,” Rachel responded, grabbing a cupcake for herself.

“You think? I didn’t strike them as friends.”

The blonde scoffed. “Please, she’s done nothing but protect her lately.”

Max fell quiet, thinking about it, remembering the past memories she had of Victoria crying in Kate’s room. Perhaps Victoria’s caring side was much less buried than she had expected. She wasn’t sure if it was due to the timeline shifting or a simple aftermath of the party. Had she caused this or only had the privilege of witnessing it? Was Kate’s suicidal thoughts completely off the table now that she had someone she seemed to be able to almost rely on other than her? So lost was she in those thoughts that she didn’t even notice when Warren approached, looking hesitant. 

“Hey, Maximum Drive,” he started, warily looking between the two girls. Chloe appreciated the pun, but she’d rather die than say it out loud, so she just kept up her glare party in Warren’s direction. “Can we talk for a second?”

“Sure,” Max said, standing up and making her way over to him, walking away from the disgruntled girls still sitting at the table. “What’s up, Warren?”

He crossed his arms, sighing. “I wanted to do something nice for Kate. You know, because of the party? But I can’t think of anything.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Warren.” She paused, thinking. Warren really was a nice guy - even though he was a little naive. “You’re a movie geek, right?”

He nodded, encouraged.

“Maybe you can find her some funny movies and put them on a USB drive for her. Something without sex scenes or violent scenes, I guess. She really likes bunnies too, a stuffed bunny would be cool.” She shrugged. “Just do it from the heart, Warren. I’m sure she’d really appreciate just the thought, like I said, it’s very sweet of you.”

He thought for a moment before grinning. “Thanks, Max,” he said excitedly, reaching out to pull her into a hug.

Max thought she would be stiff and hate it, but truthfully? She remembered watching Warren die in the diner, and she couldn’t help but hug him back. Saving him from the storm was one of her priorities. It didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.

“Anytime.”

“Movie offer still stands.”

She smirked. “Maybe someday.”

He shrugged, taking that as a satisfying answer, before walking off. When Max returned to her party, she noticed how Chloe was glaring after him. 

She couldn’t help herself. “Jealous, Chloe?”

“Oh, come on, Max, that guy is like, practically drooling over your feet!” She pouted, clearly moping. The brunette shook her head and sat back down, exchanging a knowing look with Rachel before they went back to their snacks.

\--------

“You can come in, if you want.”

Kate’s room was exactly how Victoria had expected it to be. It was clean and proper, not unlike her own, with a cross on the wall and the rest of the room pretty empty of posters and photos, aside from a couple of her family. Her bunny was in a cage in the corner, sound asleep, her bed on the floor and a small couch on one side.

She had been standing in the door, unsure why she even showed up. It’s as though she wanted to take one last look of her before going into her own dorm. Victoria towards the couch after a moment’s hesitation, closing the door behind her. Once she was (somewhat) comfortable, she watched as the smaller girl walked around the room towards her designated tea area.

“Would you like some tea?” Kate asked quietly, glancing at the other, who nodded.

“Sure.”

“Okay.” Kate fell quiet again, focusing on the tea. The only sound in the room was the bunny kicking in her sleep and the sound of cups moving around before eventually she walked back to Victoria, handing her the tea. In the meantime, Victoria had looked around, but found that there was not much to see in here.

“I, um --” Kate began, biting her lip back as she moved to sit on the end of her bed. Her fingers trembled as she took a sip of her own tea, but her voice remained steady. “I appreciate what you’ve done for me. The balloon was very nice, too.”

“Yeah, well, don’t get used to it,” Victoria responded. If she was in a better mood, perhaps her tone would have reached the intended snippiness, instead of just sounding dull.

“I won’t,” Kate answered, a slightly amused smile on her lips. “I know about your reputation. But I also remember, even if it’s blurry, you saved me that night.”

Victoria, clearly uncomfortable, just nodded.

“If there’s anything I can do for you, please just let me know.”

“I don’t need your pity,” Victoria spat, feeling the anger starting to finally boil over the way she had intended it to. To her surprise, Kate didn’t wince or move away, she just listened. Setting her cup down, she moved to stand, irritation biting at her insides. “Just forget I did anything. We’re not friends, Kate.”

“We don’t have to be.”

“Well, good.”

She paused, examining Kate’s face with a glare. That’s the thing about Kate -- Victoria envied her ability to be honest about her feelings, to always be genuine and express how she felt. Victoria had never developed that ability. Her entire life, she had to conceal her feelings or she wouldn’t be respected in her own home. The older she got, the worse it got, until she eventually was just too good at it. Her mask had become a part of her, a part she didn’t know how to live without.

Kate, though, was clearly ten times more genuine. Her expression was a mix of sadness, gratefulness, curiosity, and confusion. She could read everything in the other girl’s expression and that infuriated her as much as it intrigued her.

As Victoria turned to leave, figuring the conversation was over, the smaller girl finally stood along with her. “Hold on, Victoria,” she asked, waiting for the taller one to stop in her tracks and slowly turn around.

Kate walked over to her desk, setting down her cup and picking something up. She handed it to Victoria, smiling cautiously. “We don’t have to be friends or anything like that. But you saved me. If there’s anything you ever need, just let me know.” She paused, examining Victoria’s expression, which was slowly crumbling. “And I promise, I won’t tell anyone it was…” She stuttered, not wanting to bring up the name. “I won’t tell Wells. Not unless you want me to.”

Victoria swallowed, realizing what she was asking of Kate. Looking down, she saw the piece of paper she’d been handed; it was a sketch of the two of them, Kate’s skills evident in her careful pencil work. It was a bit messy, considering she had done it in the hospital - to her, this was a gift, this was a love language. It was her version of a gift. Her family wasn’t wealthy enough for lavish gifts, after all.

Victoria would be lying if she said it didn’t warm her heart.

She looked up to meet Kate’s eyes, hoping her own didn’t give her away. “Don’t tell anyone yet, Kate. I’ll figure this out for you.”

“I believe you.”

Victoria offered a small, pained smile, before she turned to leave. Once she was back in her dorm and she could let her walls crumble down, she carefully reached for a pin and put up the drawing right over her desk.


	13. SIX HOURS

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all your notes once more! To those of you just now joining us along for the ride, welcome welcome. From here on out chapters are longer and hopefully much more fun, so I hope you all enjoy! I’m almost done writing part three, this total length of the fic is looking to be somewhere around twenty-five to thirty chapters, so we’re almost halfway through. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! And if you’re interested in ChaseField at all, I just posted a new one-shot regarding them so feel free to check that out too!

The absolute last thing that Max expected was to hear a knock at her door at midnight that night.

She was buried in her homework, checking her phone every few seconds. Apparently Rachel and Chloe were busy tonight, so she had the chance to finish her homework that she’d been falling behind on. Unfortunately, her memories did not extend to homework, and she had to re-learn all of this. It was frustrating how it was familiar and confusingly different at the same time. Would this ever get easier?

When she heard the knock, she lifted one of her earbuds, moving towards the door. Victoria standing on the other side in her silk pajamas was a surprise, but the brunette stepped aside to silently let her in, shutting the door behind her. She figured if Victoria was here so late at night, something was important. 

“We need to talk,” Victoria began, voice snippy as ever but expression cautious. Max nodded, gesturing for her to sit on the futon so she could grab them some water bottles. After handing one to her, she sat on the floor, waiting.

“Your room is disgusting,” Victoria continued, sneering at the clothes on the floor. Max just shrugged.

“I didn’t expect guests.”

“You live in this filth?”

“Yep.” Max didn’t want to give her the satisfaction of being annoyed so Victoria would get to the point. Not to mention, she had been through too much lately to let this annoy her anymore.

Victoria, as though taking the hint, sighed and began to toy with the end of her pajamas as she thought of how to approach the situation. Finally, she spoke, her voice noticeably quieter. “I don’t know what to do about Nathan.”

The brunette waited patiently, encouraging her to go on. Victoria sighed again, this time louder and more dramatic. To anyone else, it would’ve seemed like she was getting annoyed, but Max had learned enough about her to learn the truth - she was upset, worried. This was just how Victoria communicated - the second her mask began to drop, she needed anger to put it back up. It was the one emotion she knew how to control. Max sincerely hoped someday she’d be able to feel something other than anger as vividly as she did that emotion. 

“I think he’s in something. He keeps skipping out on class and acting weird around me. The other day he told me to just trust him. He told me that he can’t tell me the truth, he can’t get me in trouble. I’m kind of… freaked out.” She looked up, meeting Max’s eyes. “He’s not a bad guy.”

Max swallowed the urge to scream about everything Nathan had done to her and those she loved, and just nodded instead. She was trying to be a better person in situations like this. Nothing got solved if she didn’t. “I know. What do you think he’s caught up in?”

“Fuck, Max, I don’t know,” she grumbled, running a hand through her messy hair. “Something bad. I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t know how to help him.”

Max thought carefully, not dwelling on the satisfaction she felt when Victoria called her by her real name and not a snark nickname. There were a few things she could try. If she gave Victoria the evidence that Frank had been selling to Nathan, she could take him down, which might mean that Jefferson got no more drugs for his escapades. However, Frank might not be the key to this at all. Victoria admired Jefferson too much for Max to mention him, plus she had no evidence against him yet. She would probably march right out. Convincing her to go to the cops wouldn’t work.

“Did you end up talking to his family?” Max finally asked, deciding that was the safest route.

Victoria shook her head. “I sent his dad an email and he didn’t reply yet. His sister won’t answer my texts, either.”

“What did the email say?”

“I explained what happened at the party and how worried I am for him.” She paused, biting her lip. “I also mentioned the farm he sleeps at.”

That made Max freeze, flashbacks prickling at the corners of her brain. “Farm?”

Victoria nodded, clearly cautious with her next words. “I followed him the other day and he kept going there, it was like some empty shack, I don’t remember what it’s used for, but I’m pretty sure his family owns it and it’s abandoned. He used to have parties there when we were younger. If he’s sleeping outside then he’s more fucked up than I thought. He has a house, for Christ’s sake.”

The brunette tried not to give it away in her face, but she knew this was bad. If Jefferson found out that Victoria was sneaking around and on the verge of finding out his secret, she was in serious danger. He would be her next target.

Max didn’t need more blood on her hands.

Clearing her throat, she looked up at the other. “Maybe that’s enough. His sister’s probably just busy right now and will read it later.”

“I kinda wanna go there,” she said wistfully, as though lost in thought. 

“No!”

It came out louder than intended, and Victoria looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“No?”

“Uh, I mean -- it could be dangerous to go out there alone, I should come with you.”

“What, you and your guard dogs?” Victoria smirked, although it looked more sarcastic than anything. She pushed on. “What is the nature of that relationship, anyway? Seems like more than one big orgy. Is the tiny little hippy into polyamory?”

Max’s face flushed but she ignored it, moving to sit next to Victoria, keeping her tone serious. “Victoria, think about it. You said he was in some dangerous shit. And now he’s using an old-run down barn on the regular? You have no idea what’ll be in there. You can’t go alone. Please, promise me.”

Victoria stared wide-eyed at her for several long seconds before finally shaking her head. “Alright, jeez, you’re intense today.”

“Thank you.”

A silence filled the air between them before Victoria spoke again. “Seriously though, what is the nature of that relationship?”

Max groaned.

\--------

This place was disgusting, in Victoria’s opinion. The countertops were dirty, the air was filled with the smell of fish, and the food looked like it was made in a microwave. She wouldn’t be caught dead in a building like this. Her designer clothes were meant for something ten times nicer.

For Max, she was right at home.

The two of them sat in the corner booth of the Two Whales, sipping their drinks as they watched the door. Max was admittedly nervous, but she tried her best not to let it show.

She had, of course, told her girls that Victoria had shown up and wanted to talk to them about something, deciding not to go into detail over the phone. They’d mutually agreed that telling Victoria everything was a bad idea. She was emotional and impulsive (much like Chloe) and could ruin their plans. Rather, Max was planning to help ease her girls into the idea of going into the barn altogether, grabbing evidence, and running.

Victoria stalking Nathan enough to know about the barn was news to this timeline. Nathan going to the barn at all was news to this timeline. 

This was risky territory.

Her girls showed up right on time. Rachel approached the table right away, all eyes on the diner on her (even the creepy pervs, and Max had to resist the urge to use her rewind to punch them). Chloe was a little later, making a point to approach her mom first and yell at her about something.

“Hey, cutie,” she greeted Max, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. Max instantly flushed red while Victoria sneered at them. She wasn’t a big fan of Rachel to begin with, and Max was too nice to be caught up in Rachel’s bullshit. Pissing Victoria off, of course, had been Rachel’s intention.

The action was enough to make Max feel those cheesy butterflies she’d always dreamed about feeling but had only ever felt around Chloe until recently. Christ, these girls were going to kill her someday.

“This is the most depressing party ever,” Chloe greeted as she sat on the table, her feet on the table. She smirked at the girl next to Max. “You look out of place, Vicky.”

“Victoria. And I’m used to more clean establishments,” she commented with a glare at the other girl’s feet.

“I resent that,” commented Joyce as she approached the table, a smile on her face. Victoria would look embarrassed if she had the capacity to do so. “Rachel, Chloe, what would you like to drink? And Chloe, feet down off the table, please.”

They answered at the same time with “coke, please” and “you know what I like”.

As Joyce walked off, the girls began to address each other.

“So, Maxi Pad, why bring us here?” Asked Chloe as she leaned back, putting an elbow on Rachel’s shoulder, ignoring the other girl’s attempts to shrug her off. 

“Well,” she started, glancing at Victoria, who had suddenly faded in confidence and looked slightly nervous. It was disorienting to see out in public. “We have a potentially bad idea.”

“Aren’t all of our ideas bad?”

“Sort of. But this one is really bad.” She paused, sucking in a breath. “Victoria thinks she may know something about what Nathan is tied up in. She knows about a barn he goes to on occasion. She thinks it may be in our best interest to check it out.”

The table fell silent. Both Rachel and Chloe knew what the barn meant, and they exchanged looks with Max that danced between concern, fury, and worry all at once. Rachel spoke up first. “Why can’t we call the cops?” She knew that the Prescotts had the cops in their pocket, but maybe if they saw the bunker...

“That would be idiotic even for you,” Victoria answered, glaring at her. The tension was clear between the two of them but the other two at the table pushed past it.

“So what, you want all of us to go?! By ourselves?” Chloe asked, frowning. She had her eyes trained on Max, worry written all over her features. The brunette had never seen such a look on Chloe and it scared her. “It seems dangerous.”

“We’ll be prepared,” she answered, hoping Chloe understood what she meant. Chloe knew she was talking about her powers, but it did nothing to reassure her.

“I don’t think drugging Kate was the first thing he’s done,” Victoria began, surprising even Max. As she spoke, she leaned forward in her seat, so only they could hear. “Do you remember the parties from last year? Rachel, you were there.”

Rachel nodded cautiously.

“Everyone was high, like normal. But do you remember Carol?”

“Carol Mendez?”

“She went to a party in November and after that… she just changed… and then she dropped out, out of nowhere.” Victoria paused, biting her lip. She was no longer addressing any of the girls, but simply speaking, as though talking to herself. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

As Victoria lost herself in thought, the three other girls exchanged increasingly nervous looks. Right at that moment, Joyce approached, taking their orders and Victoria snapped out of it, sitting straight upright again.

“Right, well, we’ll need to get a couple of things but we can probably do it tonight,” Rachel started, earning another glare from the girl across the table.

“I’m pretty sure that Nathan has been sleeping there, Amber. We need to go during a time when we know it's empty. He's been skipping school a lot so school hours are out of the question." She paused, thinking. "He has a meeting with Wells after school at seven on Friday and I know he isn’t going to miss it because his dad has to be there. We’ll have maybe an hour from that point, it seemed serious when I overheard him on the phone.”

“Alright, after school it is,” Chloe agreed, digging into her food.

Victoria looked around the table as though just realizing the company she was keeping. Chloe, with her messy hair and ugly beanie; Max, with her happy go lucky innocent girl attitude; and Rachel, who she just straight up hated. “I can’t believe I’m doing this. I can’t believe I’m sitting at a table with you losers.”

“Eat your pancakes, Vicky.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Or what? You’ll hit me with your purse?”

“I’ve always wondered what you looked like with a black eye.”

“I’ve always wondered what you looked like dead.”

“Great comeback, did your dad teach you that one?”

“Guys, please,” interjected Max, shaking her head at the two of them, who were fuming at each other. They went quiet, eating their food. 

This was going to be a blast.

\--------

October 1st was that coming Monday, and, as a result, Max was scared out of her mind. Friday evening rolled around and she felt like she was about to scream. This was too close for comfort.

The timing for their little adventure happened to work out perfectly. Sean and Nathan were tied up with Wells exactly at five, and it seemed like a serious meeting. Max had used her powers in class to check Jefferson's schedule, and he turned out to have some kind of dinner meeting that evening, which meant that they had just enough time to get into the barn. An hour should be enough.

They pulled up in Victoria’s luxury sedan, Chloe and Max in the back while Rachel sat at the front. The ride there was mostly silent, with Chloe secretly fuming because they’d all decided her truck was much too loud for sneaking around. In an attempt to calm her down, Max was holding her hand, but she wasn’t sure if Chloe’s blush was from anger or from the close contact.

They reached the barn just in time, the girls piling out one by one. Rachel had agreed to be the one to stay in the car to keep an eye out, shifting to the driver’s side, keeping the car on. After a quick goodbye, Chloe joined the other two at the front of the barn. Max exchanged a nervous look with Rachel in the car, her smile not quite reaching.

Slipping on gloves, the three of them walked inside slowly, examining the structure. As expected, it was virtually empty, save for the one trunk that Chloe had opened up in another timeline. She did the same now, waiting for Victoria to walk over and look at everything, frowning when nothing seemed remarkable in there.

The latch was in the exact same spot that she expected it to be in. The process to open it up was the same as it had always been, and before long Max had pushed over the large machine and the latch had broken clean off. She did so quickly enough that the other two didn’t notice until she was already opening it. 

“Over here,” she called to them as she walked down the stairs towards the familiar bunker. Like before, memories began to eat at her brain, threatening for her to fade out any second now. She gritted her teeth and broke through the barrier regardless, determined to make it inside, at least. The last thing she wanted was to fall apart, and she’d already seen these memories, anyway. The girls needed her.

Pressing on the number pad using the familiar combination she was used to, she waited for the door to open up. Glancing behind her, she saw Chloe standing directly behind her with a flashlight, looking nervous as hell. Victoria was only a few feet behind, as pale as she’d ever seen her. She had expected Victoria to be rambling about something, but she was dead silent.

Now or never.

As Max opened the door, she heard Chloe mutter something about the apocalypse bunker they found themselves in. She ignored her, still fighting the pain in her head as they walked further into the room.

Chloe was the first to stop, almost making Victoria collide with her. Before the blonde could swear at her, she paused, taking in the scene in front of her.

Jefferson’s stuff was still all laid out, as though he’d left in a hurry. The binders were still there, with some of them on the messy desk. The tripod stood near the door, making Max’s stomach turn. With shaking hands, she raised her hand and pulled out her phone, trying to take some pictures of everything. Flashbacks bit at her brain and she felt tears in her eyes, but she fought. She continued to take photos, working carefully and quietly.

To her surprise, the memories didn’t fully break through. It was as though her mind knew this was too important to fight with her right now.

In the meantime, Chloe, knowing what she was going for, began to paw through the binders. Rachel and Victoria’s were empty, Kate’s was also empty, but Dana and Taylor’s were on the table, a couple of photos in each. She felt sick to her stomach but kept it open so Max could take pictures. Booting up the computer, she started to sort through it, finding her hands were shaking as she typed. 

Victoria, though, was still stunned by the whole scene. As she walked further into the room, she felt her stomach turn. “What is -- What is this?”

“Looks like a bunker,” Chloe replied, speaking up when Max didn’t answer. “With a place for a sick fuck to get off. Victoria, look at this.”

She gestured at the binders, waiting for Victoria to approach them. Her expression was apprehensive, changing to one of anger when she saw the binders with hers and Kate’s names. Shifting through the binders on the table only made it grow, and when she looked at Chloe again she was livid, her face dark and contorted.

“This is what the drugs were for?! This is why he drugged Kate?”

Chloe nodded somberly, going back to the computer. Victoria dropped the binders, letting out a strangled cry as she walked further into the room, suddenly feeling like she was about to throw up.

“Got some pics,” Max mumbled as she walked back to Chloe, snapping some more. “We need to go soon, I have a ton. There’s some blo -- blood on the wall, I got that too. Find anything?”

Chloe shook her head. “Fucker only uses this to print the photos and send emails.”

“If there’s anything in the emails, forward them to my throwaway email and then delete them from the sent folder.”

The bluenette nodded, pulling up the app, before she glanced at Max, who was trembling. “Max, you okay?”

“No,” she answered honestly. Meeting Chloe’s eyes. “Not at all.”

With her free hand, Chloe took Max’s, squeezing it tight. “I got you, Max. We’ve got this.”

A loud noise nearly made them jump out of their skin before they noticed it was Victoria throwing a tripod on the ground. “What the fuck!” She screamed angrily, moving to smash something else. Max quickly made her way over to her, intending to calm her down.

“Victoria, we can’t break anything,” she said carefully, backing up a few steps when Victoria rounded on her.

“Max, look at this! LOOK at what he’s doing! Are you fucking kidding me?! I’ve been here before and I never - I never saw - this is so fucked up. This is SO fucked up.”

Victoria was hysterical, starting to sob. Neither Max or Chloe had ever seen her like this -- it was as though the dams in her emotions burst all at once. The brunette turned around to meet eyes with Chloe, who nodded.

“Victoria,” she started, getting no response. “Victoria!”

The blonde paused from her hysterics, looking up at Max with desperate and pained eyes. She didn’t even pull away as Max put her hands gently on her shoulders. 

“Victoria, look around one more time. Trust me.”

She swallowed, shaking like a leaf, but obeyed. Moving carefully, she began to examine the room, including the cameras. One of them stuck out to her, and she picked it up in her gloved hand and looked it over. Confused, she looked up at Max.

“He doesn’t normally like Sony,” she mumbled, toying with it. “He’s an elitist about it.”

Max stood back, her arms crossed over her chest, waiting for Victoria to figure it out as she kept looking around. Chloe continued to send emails for another second before she exited out of the app, moving to the home screen of the computer. She turned the monitor around, waiting.

“And this…” She reached down, grabbing a tripod with a brand she didn’t recognize. “You can’t get these from a regular store. They have to be rented.”

As realization dawned on Victoria that this wasn’t Nathan’s stuff, she turned around to face the other girls. The apologetic expression that Max gave her paired with the photo of the bearded man on the screen (a goddamn selfie, no less) was enough to make her make the connection, and the camera she was still holding fell from her hands.

Max, cursing, rewound only long enough to catch the camera and set it back down. Victoria fell to the floor, stunned to silence, as she tried to make sense of it.

The cool night air filled the car as Rachel played quiet music with her window open, nervously pawing at the car console. She knew Max wasn’t going to text her pics yet - she needed to keep them on her phone since she was the only one who was able to rewind in case things went south.

They would, of course.

The set of headlights that approached made her curse and turn her own off, watching carefully as the car parked on the other side. For a moment, she wondered if they were just driving by, but thought better of it as she climbed out of the car, leaving it running, and stalked to that side of the house.

Although in a suit, Mark Jefferson looked disheveled, as though he had just run a marathon. He moved to go inside of the barn, stopping when he spotted Rachel. Of course, he couldn’t hide his surprise, but his expression quickly changed to something calm and collected.

“Rachel Amber,” he greeted, approaching her. “What are you doing here?”

Rachel crossed her arms, swallowing. This was the man who, in another timeline, had helped be responsible for her death. He had helped bury her, helped make sure she disappeared before she could escape the Bay that had ruined her.

She put on one of her classic Rachel Amber smiles.

“Just exploring, Mr. Jefferson. You know me, I like to wander around to abandoned places and just see what’s going on. I thought this one’s been abandoned for a while.”

Mark shrugged. “For the most part, yes.”

“I’m guessing you aren’t here for the same thing.

With another shrug, he walked closer. Rachel held back a nervous swallow and just met his eyes. “I have some business to attend to. Although it’s always wonderful talking to you, Rachel Amber. I heard you were planning to be a big-time model when you left Arcadia Bay, is that right?”

“The rumors are true, yes.” Keeping on her always-effective Rachel charm was increasingly more difficult as fear made it hard.

“Impressive. I can see it. If you need help building your portfolio, I’d be happy to help.” He smirked. “I’ve been told I have quite the eye.”

 _MAX, GET BACK OUT HERE._ “I’m sure you have.”

Chloe shut down the computer, slapping the mouse down. “Alright, I sent all the emails, let’s get the fuck out of here before either of them comes back.” She began to run off, but not before stopping to grab a couple of needles, stuffing them in her pocket.

She thought Max would tell her off for taking evidence, but the brunette just nodded. She moved to shake Victoria, who was still frozen, and helped her up. Before long, the three of them were making their way to the door when they heard it.

Footsteps.

Frozen in the spot, Max was the first to recover, ushering them to stand against the wall behind the curtain. They stayed there completely still as Jefferson descended the stairs. 

Once the door opened, the bearded man stepped inside, sighing softly. Removing his coat, he tossed it in their direction without looking, heading for the computer. While his back was turned, Max gestured for them to follow her up the stairs, quietly at first before they ran like hell.

For the girls, it took maybe a minute and a half to get to the car safely.

For Max, it took about six hours.

Everything that could’ve possibly gone wrong went wrong. For twelve out of those times, Jefferson turned around, spotted the girls, and closed the door before they could run out. For six of those times, he shot them instead of closing the door. For four of those times, he dragged Rachel along with him and Chloe lost her shit, giving away their position. Someone always died during that scenario. For eight of those times, Victoria was the one to approach Jefferson, screaming and yelling until he plunged a needle into her neck and they couldn’t stop him.

Ten more still when Chloe tried to use her needles against him and was shot in the head as a result. Five more where they tripped on the stairs and he heard. Twelve where Max tried to get the gun herself and failed. Eight where they got outside but he followed. Four where they got outside and he didn’t follow but one of them fell back and disappeared. Once where the car didn’t turn back on after shutting off. Two where Chloe tried to leave Victoria behind and Max ran back in only for it to be too late. Ten times where Jefferson closed the door behind him as he walked in and they couldn’t get out, making them sitting ducks until he noticed they were there.

One where Victoria was the only one to make it out. One where Max was drugged herself, and she spent an hour waking up before she managed to strain herself enough to move back an hour. She still wasn’t sure how she did it.

At the end of the “two minutes”, Max was exhausted. This one had been perfect: they walked up the stairs quietly, as the door was wide open, and once they were at the top they ran like hell to the car. Max lugged behind, her every limb screaming at her, shirt completely covered in blood she was choking on as she stumbled to the car.

Chloe, realizing that Max’s state had changed, grabbed her just as she fell to the ground outside of the barn. Rachel was there in a second, hoisting her up on her free arm, resisting the urge to curse or give away their position.

As she was tossed in the back seat, the world faded out.

\--------

Victoria had assumed that Max had just fallen and would be fine, so she had no issues with going back to her dorm alone after the experience, promising that she wouldn’t tell anyone what they did today.

Meanwhile, back in the showers of Max’s dorm, the girls tried to keep her upright as they cleaned her of blood, eventually stripping her and wrapping her in a towel. She was still out of it when they got back to her room, Chloe setting her down and Rachel sorting through her clothes to find her pajamas.

Once Max was dressed and settled in bed, the girls agreed to leave her alone for the night, right as she began to stir.

For once, Max had no dreams or memories as she was passed out. Instead, she was in the car one minute, and in her bed the next. She felt cleaned, even if her hair was still a little wet, and was warm and comfortable. As she looked up, trying to take in the scene around her, she saw the door opening and the girls leaving.

“Wait,” she mumbled, her voice a slur that was barely above a whisper. Both of them hesitated before entering the room again and shutting the door.

“Max?” Whispered Chloe as she stepped closer. “It’s okay, you’re safe. No one got hurt, and we got the photos and emails. Just go to sleep, okay?”

Max’s mouth felt dry as the memories of the earlier day came to her. Suddenly, she saw a million images fly through her mind: images of Rachel being dragged into the room, of Chloe being shot, of either of them screaming as she was drugged. She felt sick to her stomach and shook her head, as though trying to shake the memories.

“Don’t go,” she added in another whisper, letting her head drop on the pillow.

“Which one of us, Max?”

Max scooted over, making herself comfortable in the middle of the bed, moving to lay on her side. Her movements were still sluggish, she still felt like she was underwater, but she managed to do it. “Both of you, please.”

They exchanged a look. It was still a bit too early for bed, but eventually, they decided they couldn't leave her. They nodded, Chloe moving to take off her clothes that were covered in dirt and water from the shower. She set them on the floor, instead just wearing her underwear and bra as she crawled into bed behind Max, laying on her side. Max kept her eyes closed, waiting for Rachel to use some of Max’s clothes as pajamas (they were the same size but Chloe was too tall for them) before she joined them.

With Chloe behind her and Rachel in front of her, Max felt instantly calmed. It was like she’d felt all those summer nights on Facetime, when she’d fallen asleep and woken up to one or both of them watching her. A calm serenity that they could only give her. She scooted back a tiny bit, feeling Chloe wrap an arm around her waist and cuddle close, feeling her breath against her neck. Closing her eyes, Max reached out to find Rachel’s hand and hold them in her own, squeezing her tight.

Part of it was a reassurance that she was alive and they were both alive with her, but a bigger part of that was the selfish part of her that simply wanted them to be closer. Both of them felt like home in different ways, and she found her fear fading, her worries disappearing into the night sky as they held her close. Chloe’s breath on her neck began to slow as she fell asleep, nuzzling a bit closer. 

She opened her eyes, capturing Rachel’s gaze in her own. The blonde smiled at her gently, her smile radiating like the sun. “You okay?” She asked quietly, reaching a hand out to brush hair out of Max’s face before she put them back where they were before. Max found herself speechless once more, staring at Rachel through sleepy eyelids. She somehow knew all the right things to say, all the right things to do, all the right moves to make. Rachel’s smile was the final nail in the coffin for Max, and as she closed her eyes again, she felt herself starting to fall asleep. Before she could stop it, she broke the silence.

“I love you. Both of you.”

Rachel was surprised but smiled, scooting a tiny bit closer, squeezing her friend’s hands. As she watched Max fall asleep, leaving her as the only one awake, her eyes drifted between her and Chloe. Both of them looked so peaceful and so beautiful under the moonlight, like nothing could hurt them from here. She wanted to stare at them forever. 

She was _screwed,_ and she knew it. In situations like this, she couldn’t find herself wanting anything more. Living in this shithole was worth it after all. A sentence she never thought she’d say or think in her lifetime. They had crept their way into Rachel’s heart without even realizing. 

Closing her eyes, she sighed softly, letting sleep come for her, too. 

“Love you too, Maxi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop, there it is. Hope you guys liked this chapter. Feel free to hold your breath, the next chapter is a big one and I won’t make you guys wait for it too long. Until next time! ;)


	14. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And that's how it works,  
> That's how you get the girl(s).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Grammy's day! Here's a new chapter to end the weekend and bring us into a new week!
> 
> When I first started this fic, I was simply interested in exploring two ships I wanted to learn more about and develop more as time went on. I was surprised to see how much I fell in love with our favourite OT3, the more and more that I explored them. Please enjoy this chapter and consider this a thank you for everyone reading thus far. Kudos and comments are always appreciated! I'm hella nervous to post this so I hope you all like it!

Max slowly woke up first, somewhere around early morning, her eyes fluttering open slowly. The first thing she noticed was that she was lying on her back, Rachel having moved to lay on her chest, arm wrapped lazily around her. On her other side, Chloe had somehow maintained a similar position she was in before, cuddling the photographer with an arm around her waist, her head next to hers and her eyes still closed as though she was sound asleep. 

She realized how they were both somehow closer than they were now than they had been last night. Trying to swallow the nervousness she suddenly felt, she slowly let herself relax into their touch. One of her arms was sound asleep under Rachel. Wiggling it free, she managed to adjust herself in such a way that she was able to use that hand to gently thread through the blonde’s hair, stroking the blonde locks slowly.

She never thought she would be here. She never thought she’d see Chloe again, let alone end up in bed with her and with the most popular girl in school. It was like they were both stars lighting up her bright sky -- Rachel had a habit of making every room she walked into bright and welcoming, while Chloe had the same effect whenever she was near Max, a side of her they only got to see.

Other Max wouldn’t have dreamed of this in a million years - even though her relationship with Chloe was wonderful, Rachel had always been an unspoken regret between them. Not only had she given herself a do-over, but she had given herself about a million more things on top of it. Max was certain this was heaven.

“She’s a heavy sleeper,” she heard, and she didn’t have to look over to know Chloe was awake. “Sometimes even David bursting into our room wouldn’t wake her ass up.”

Max kept her eyes down, her hand still in Rachel’s hair. She gently brushed some out of her face, watching the earring fall onto her neck, listening to her sigh softly in her sleep. It gave her a sense of peace but also butterflies that almost made her stomach lurch with how suddenly they came on. The overwhelming mix of emotions running through her body right now would rival the storm. She wasn’t sure when she got so attracted to Rachel but not having a crush on her was like trying not to fall asleep; impossible, comforting, overwhelming.

“You’re a heavy sleeper, too,” Max replied, glancing over at the other, whose bright blue hair shone in the morning light, her eyes half-open with sleepiness. She was fully aware of how close Chloe’s face was to her own and it made her heart beat about a thousand times faster, but she fought off the impending blush. This was getting more and more difficult by the moment. “You used to get so angry when I’d try to wake you up early when we were kids.”

“I remember.” The bluenette shifted a tiny bit, propping her head up on her elbow with her free arm to get a closer look at the brunette. “Max?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you uncomfortable?”

Max frowned. “I’m the most comfortable I’ve ever been, actually. My arm’s still asleep, but it’s okay.”

“No, I mean --” Chloe paused, gritting her teeth as she tried to find the words. “I mean I couldn’t find any clothes that fit me --”

“Chloe, I’ve seen you in your underwear about a million times. It’s fine.”

Chloe bit back a response and just nodded, lowering her head down again. She felt Max shift a little bit. The arm still wrapped around Max moved up, instead brushing some hair out of her face before she put it back. She was so small and warm, it was like having her own personal heater. Despite their awkward position, Chloe was sure she could lay like this for days and be happy. Who needed food as long as she had this?

Max stretched a bit, her eyes closed, enjoying the comfortable silence for a few moments. It was strange, how much different this felt than sleeping alone. It was so comfortable and natural she was sure she wanted this forever. She’d laid like this with Chloe about a million times throughout their childhood, but this felt… different.

“Max, I have one more question.”

The brunette chuckled slightly, opening her eyes so she could look back at her. “What?”

“Can you tell me a little bit more about Other Us?”

Although she felt a growing sense of panic, Max swallowed and figured she’d kept it from Chloe for too long to deny it now. Still playing with Rachel’s hair, she took several moments to find the words to reply, to which Chloe waited patiently.

“I already told you the events of the week,” she started, softly speaking and trying to keep her tone even and not stuttery. “I destroyed the picture at the lighthouse, and we stood there and watched the town. After that we just sort of ran off for a while. We got in your truck, got Wells’s money, and we left.”

Chloe listened intently but quietly, not wanting to interrupt or discourage her.

“I had a lot of guilt. I didn’t regret saving you, but I had a lot of guilt. A lot of that is --” She paused, eyebrows furrowing. “-- Blurry. It’s like Other Max doesn’t want to remember it. Or blocked it out. But I remember getting hotel rooms, and stopping at my house in Seattle for a while. We went back on the road after that, just sort of… surviving. We stole a broken down RV at one point, for some reason.”

She faltered, still focused on Rachel’s hair, before she let her hand drop so she could try and formulate her words carefully, not wanting to fuck this up and have to rewind. “My powers were still there, but we were scared to use them, so we went about life the normal way. After a month, we got a small apartment. After three, we decided to go back.”

After a few moments of silence, Chloe spoke, her tone was careful but firm. She wanted to make sure the brunette understood she was serious. “Max, you know what I meant.”

Max shut her eyes again, terrified. For all she knew she might say her next words and Chloe could run out. It would feel wrong to rewind it, like she was taking advantage of her. She could tell her she wasn’t ready and avoid the subject, but that wouldn’t feel fair to her, either. In the end, Max settled for honesty. “Chloe, if I tell you, I can’t take it back,” she whispered in a wavering voice.

Chloe considered it for a second before she answered. “Whatever it is, I won’t want you to take it back. Please.”

Silently, Max cursed her other self. She wished all of the memories merged with her own, giving her the whole truth and not just snippets, so she could address this properly and answer Chloe’s inevitable questions. Was anything going to change after this? Did she want anything to change? Would this even make sense to tell Chloe right now when Rachel was also in the mix of confusing but exciting teenage feelings?

Finally, the brunette continued. Her voice was low and quiet, and she was unable to hide the tremble from it as the words came tumbling out. “Do you remember when I kissed you the other day?” When Chloe nodded, she continued. “I was echoing a memory, sort of. I was trying to make you understand what I’m not good at putting into words. That week in the other timeline happened like I told you, but there was one thing that I left out. That morning, after we went to the pool we --” She paused, swallowing nervously. “We kissed, just like the way I kissed you. But that kiss changed everything. We looked at each other differently. 

“After the storm, when we ran off together, we spent the first night in the motel just crying. We were both so upset and full of guilt. It was rough, but you were there for me. You always were there for me. Eventually we just… crossed the line. And we didn’t regret it, not for a second. Everything felt natural and normal with you. The demons in my head would be swirling and then you’d kiss me and they would go away.” She fought back the memories, but they weren’t biting at her this time - they were calmer, like remembering scenes from a movie, or a story she’d read once.

“But… as much as we were in love, there was always something hanging over our heads. You missed Rachel and I felt guilty for not saving her. Every time we were in bed together, I knew you remembered her. It didn’t cause any fights or anything, it just felt like a cloud over our heads. I also missed my friend Kate, I had nightmares every single night from the storm. We wondered if we would ever be able to move on.” Another pause and she let herself glance at Chloe for a quick second, looking away as soon as they met eyes, not used to the intensity. 

“We’ve never been good at that. Letting go. It’s why I worked so hard to save you so many times. Why I ripped up the photo that could’ve saved the town. We love too hard, and sometimes it makes us hurt, too. Eventually, I figured it out. Going back far enough to save Rachel, you, and everyone else was the only way to fix it. No matter what the cost. So I formed a plan. I would save her, save Kate, stop Jefferson, save the town. I knew you’d dated Rachel in another life, and I knew there was a possibility you’d choose her over me in the end, but I took that risk. For you. For everyone.”

Max fell silent, trying to find the right words to continue. The room around them was still, and she barely noticed how Rachel wasn’t breathing heavily anymore, she was just as quiet.

“I didn’t have the memories when I first saw you again, not all of them. But I felt such a strong sense of relief it almost knocked me over. Stronger than I would’ve expected. I know that was Other Max, in a way. She was willing to risk everything to save you. Her entire life, her entire future. And then I saw Rachel, and I felt the same relief, even though I’d never met her before. When I first saw her, I got it. I understood why they wanted to save her so bad. It was like the whole world was suddenly complete, even if you did hate me at first. Other Max felt so fucking guilty for not saving Rachel. I know if she knew that it worked, she would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

She paused once more, looking at the ceiling. “Other Chloe always said that Other Max and Rachel would be best friends. I’m glad I got to discover that for her. If we fail at this somehow and I have to do it all over again, I will. I get it now, more than I did when this first happened. Every memory brings me closer to Other Max, like I understand her more. After having experienced a world without you, and a world without Rachel, I can confirm that the world can’t exist without either of you. It would be like the planet spinning without a sun.

“I wouldn’t trade this timeline for the other one. I wouldn’t trade this for the world, I think. It’s worth it. I think she’d be really happy, you know?”

If Max had been trying to lay it on easy, she failed miserably. After pouring her heart out, she silently cursed herself, hoping she didn’t scare either of them off. She was aware now that Rachel was awake and had probably heard it all, and that Chloe was dead silent. Closing her eyes, Max tried to compose herself, terrified of the aftermath of what she'd just said.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck. She’d fucked up._

Nervously, she slowly looked back at the girls to see that Rachel had moved off of her, into her line of sight, and was looking at her. Her eyes were brimmed with tears, making Max terrified to turn and face Chloe. Before she had the chance to, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and Chloe fell into her shoulder, clutching her as tight as she could.

Max let out an “oof” as the air was knocked out of her, feeling Chloe bury her face in her neck. The bluenette’s shoulders were shaking with sobs, but she said nothing else, just squeezed Max a little tighter. She looked at Rachel in a panic, seeing the other girl smiling gently at her.

The moment passed after a while, and Chloe lifted her head. Max had only a few seconds to recover before there was a hand on her cheek, pulling her head to the side, allowing Chloe the room to plant a kiss on her lips.

Frozen, Max didn’t kiss back at first, eventually giving in when Chloe didn’t pull away. It only lasted a few seconds, and it was filled with salty tears, but when it was over Max needed a second to catch her breath.

Sitting up, Chloe wiped at her face to try and get the tears away. “Oh, god, Max, you can’t just say that shit,” she said, shaking her head as she finally regained her composure. Her eyes were still puffy and red but she was breaking into a smile, much to Max’s relief. “What the fuck, did you rehearse that?”

Max shook her head, too stunned to respond.

“It did sound a little rehearsed,” Rachel replied, smirking at the smaller girl.

The brunette looked between the two of them in shock, unable to stop herself from gaping like a fish. She had essentially confessed all of her biggest secrets and they somehow were just chilling, smiling at her? Her head hurt.

“Wait,” she started, moving to sit up between them. Her shirt rode up a little bit and she pulled it down, trying to hide the blush on her cheeks as they both looked. Chloe still looked like she was about to start crying again, but Max pushed on. “You guys -- you aren’t freaked out? I mean, that was a lot of… of emotion at once.”

“Max, the first day you met us you told us that you’re a time traveler. Nothing you say can freak us out now,” answered Rachel with a shrug. “I sort of figured you guys were a thing in the other timeline. Other Max basically destroyed time and space for her, after all. I also figured you’d eventually be a thing now. Chloe’s been in love with you since she was like twelve --”

“Rachel!”

“-- She would always talk about you when you were gone, it was so obvious. Even when she and I are alone I can tell she’s thinking about you. Just like she did with me in a previous timeline, I guess.” She paused. “It seems like no matter who ends up together, we end up missing someone.”

Max was dead silent, not wanting to give herself and her current double crush away. She didn’t want to explain the budding butterflies whenever she looked at Rachel, didn’t want to explain how she missed either of them whenever they were apart. She just kept adjusting her shirt, as though it was still out of place.

“We’re all just too gay to handle ourselves,” Chloe responded with a laugh, glad Rachel was taking it well. The blonde just shrugged as though she agreed.

Both of them glanced at Max, who was beet red, looking away from them both. After exchanging a knowing look, Rachel reached out to poke her in the shoulder.

“You still there, Max?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, internally kicking herself for sounding like a nervous wreck.

“What’s wrong?”

She sucked in a breath, trying to figure out how to say this. If there’s anything she’s learned from this morning, it was to _just fucking say it, you coward._ “It’s not that simple. I think -- I think it’s inevitable. Like… I think….” She grunted in frustration as she tried to find the words. “We all have a connection, you know? Really strong, between all three of us. Like all of our souls are intertwined or something like that. Like -- Chloe, you’re familiar, and you make me feel safe, like no one can hurt me.”

Chloe beamed in pride at that.

“And Rachel, you’re new, and you make me feel safe, too. Like I can’t hurt myself. It’s like two totally different things but without the other I feel like something is like -- it’s missing. And I think that was a big secret reason why Other Us wanted to go back far enough to save you, Rachel, even if she never met you. She felt like she really had to. She thought it would fix everything.” She looked up, hoping the blonde understood. “They were happy, but they felt like something was missing.”

There was a brief silence before Chloe spoke up. “Max, it sounds like you’re calling all three of us soulmates.”

She considered arguing against that, but Chloe had hit the nail on the head. So, she just nodded.

Rachel exchanged a look with the bluenette, who just shrugged at the unspoken question. Sighing, the blonde turned her whole body to face Max, taking both of her hands in her own as she spoke.

“Max, can I tell you something?” When the brunette nodded, she continued on. “Chloe and I have been on and off for a while, but over the summer we started hooking up a lot more. Right, Chloe?”

Chloe nodded, encouraging her on.

“Right, well, before we met you, we fought sometimes. It felt like there was tension. I never felt fully satisfied, like something was missing. We thought it was the bay, or the drugs, or my commitment issues. That’s what I pretended it was, at least. I never committed to Chloe and she hated me for that.” She licked her lips, clearly trying hard to remain vulnerable. This wasn’t a side of Rachel Amber that anyone else got to see, and Max found herself eternally grateful that she’d been granted the privilege to see it.

“Until last November, when you showed up. After that we felt like everything was right where it should be, and we stopped fighting. It felt normal.” She paused, sucking in a breath. “Then you left for Seattle, and we started hooking up again, and it was good. Every time we… you know… spent a night together, we would lay there after, and I knew we were both thinking the same thing. We were remembering you and missing you. It seems like there’s a pattern here, no matter what timeline we’re in.”

Max frowned. “So --”

 _“Sooo….”_ Rachel interrupted, not giving Max a moment to overthink. “Max, how did you feel last night? Tell me every word you would use to describe it. After we got in bed, I mean.”

She shifted where she was sitting, trying to think of the words to describe it as requested. “Safe. Warm. Comfortable.”

“Complete?”

Max nodded. “Yeah, complete.”

“That’s it, then,” Rachel said, as though she had just found the answer. She dropped Max’s hands, grinning at them both. “That’s the answer. We felt the same, right Chloe?” When Chloe replied with a hella yeah, Rachel looked back at Max. “After a while of sleeping together, when we figured out that it was working this time, we agreed we wouldn’t start being serious until you came back and we figured it out with you. As suspected, you came back, and the feelings got stronger.”

“You mean -- you like me?”

Chloe scoffed, speaking up. “Max, we stayed in Arcadia Bay for you. It wasn’t just because of our little mission.”

Rachel seemed to agree. “I was kind of jealous of how much that Chloe talked about you before we met, but when I actually _did_ meet you… I got it. You’re hard not to fall for, Max. It’s entirely possible to fall for two people at once. It looks like we all did it.”

Her fucking head was spinning. Max looked away, trying to figure it out. It made sense, of course it did. Every time she was apart from either girl, she missed them. Even when she was alone with Chloe, a part of her head missed Rachel, which had surprised her but also felt completely natural.

They let Max think on it, watched her eyes drift between the two girls slowly. She figured there was only one way to know the truth, to confirm if her feelings were real. Facing Rachel, she gave the girl only a few seconds to process before she reached up, putting her hands on Rachel’s cheeks. She figured it out at the last second, smiling as Max’s lips met hers eagerly. 

It was exactly how she’d expected it to be. Something clicked into place, something in her heart skipped a beat. She felt her stomach flip and for a moment she thought she’d died and gone straight to heaven. It felt like the kiss she’d shared with Chloe but it was entirely new at the same time.

It just felt… right.

Rachel pulled away after a few seconds, not wanting to let the moment get carried away before they talked. “So does that mean you agree?”

Max licked her lips, trying to debate how to answer without sounding like an idiot. “Uh, I mean -- I’ve wanted this for awhile. You guys are just --” She stopped, looking away, feeling her confidence start to slip. “Whenever I was in Seattle, I missed you guys when we hung up the phone, and it only got worse…”

Before she could ramble too much, she felt two arms wrap around her, Chloe resting her chin on her shoulder. “We can go at your speed, Max. Whatever you’re comfortable with. Cool with us.”

She nodded, grateful. Rachel scooted closer and before long she had pulled Max into another kiss, this time resting her hands on the brunette’s cheeks, not parting their lips until she heard Max lose her breath. She let out a small giggle Max had never heard before as they rested their foreheads together.

Nothing more needed to be said. Max was perfectly okay with that. It was hard to find her focus when Rachel leaned in again, and impossible still when she felt Chloe’s lips touch the skin of her neck. Her brain shut off and all she could think about was the two of them, as if nothing else existed.

The rest of the morning flew by, spent with Max alternating between the two girls whenever her lips were free for more than a second, relishing in their quiet laughs and huge grins every moment she possibly could.

\--------

As luck would have it, David was out of town for the weekend.

As luck would have it even more, there was another party on Saturday.

As if luck himself had it out for Victoria, Kate wanted to fucking go.

To say Victoria was angry would be an understatement. The blonde was livid, although she was trying not to show it. They were sitting a table in a somewhat fancy restaurant an hour or so north of the Bay, away from the nothingness that it had to offer. 

It wasn’t a date, of course not. It was a nice and quiet space for Victoria to tell Kate about what had happened, and about how they found evidence on Nathan and were sending it out to David the second that he got back. None of the girls seemed to know why David suddenly left, but he said he was coming back on Monday, so they would send him the stuff that they had on Monday. Just a few more days.

She had opted to keep Kate in the dark about all of the details. She regretted that now as she glared at the small blonde who was smiling softly at her.

“Victoria, it’s okay,” she said, as though trying to reassure her. “Like you said, we caught him. He’s not going to try anything after he messed up last time. And if I let these things control me, then I’ll be giving in to the power that he has over me. I don’t think that’s fair. All my friends are going and I have nothing better to do that night.”

“And you’re not just doing this to spite your parents?”

Kate smiled, not wanting to give truth to that answer. “I’ll be okay, Vic. I already asked the girls, they said they’d help me find a cute outfit.”

“Of course they did,” she answered through gritted teeth.

It was clear that Kate wasn’t budging. She was as stubborn as Victoria was, even if she wouldn’t admit it. An idea formed in Victoria’s mind and she set down her fork, leaning back to look at the other girl.

“Fine, but I’m being your date.”

Kate nearly choked on her water before composing herself. “My what?”

“Your date. I take you there, I take you home, I keep an eye on you all night.” Victoria grinned wickedly. “I could use a little eye candy, after all.”

Kate seemed stunned, reaching a hand up to play with her necklace for a moment before she opted to answer. “Are you sure?”

“Anything for you, Kate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And our ships finally start to set sail! Thanks once more to everyone reading, I hope it was worth the wait so far. As much as I like slow burn, sometimes this is more fun. This chapter was one of my favorites to write so far -- I really loved exploring the mutual crushes between the OT3, and I loved having them think about how their Other selves would feel about their current state. Max is head over heels in love with them both, and writing that out was a blast. 
> 
> As for miss Victoria Chase… she’s running into dangerous territory with her potential developing Crush, but does she know if that’ll ruin her or make her life better? Guess you’ll have to wait and see how it goes! 
> 
> Kate’s also getting a bit more confident and even wanting to go to parties despite the last one, we’ll see how that works out for her. She's recovering quickly from her previous trauma, it probably helps to have the uber-popular and powerful Victoria suddenly on your side...
> 
> Until next time, babes.


End file.
